Fourteen busloads of children and women, plus five minibuses, arrived in Russia’s North Ossetia from breakaway South Ossetia on August 3, Russian news agencies reported.

A total of 534 people, including 390 children, were sent from the breakaway region following the most intense fighting in years overnight on August 2 that killed six and injured 22 people.

Authorities in the breakaway region described the outflow as “an evacuation” amid the possible resumption of the armed conflict.

However, Ermak Dzansolov, deputy prime minister of Russia’s North Ossetian Republic, told Interfax news agency that it was not an evacuation. Sending children to North Ossetia was part of a pre-arranged summer-camp programme, he explained.