Authorities in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia said they expected another 100,000 refugees to arrive, most of them from Grozny. Russian authorities estimated that 200,000 people have so far fled Chechnya.

Russian aircraft bombarded central Grozny and other towns in Chechnya, killing at least 50 rebels, Russian military authorities said.

The Russian air force also continued to bomb targets in southern Chechnya, hitting convoys of vehicles thought to be used by Islamic rebels to transport weapons, NTV television reported.

Fighting was also reported from Gudermes, the second largest town in Chechnya.

Thousands of refugees from the Chechen conflict remained stranded at the Chechen-Ingush border on Saturday despite assurances from Moscow that border controls would be expedited.

One and a half hoursafter Kavkas checkpoint opened Saturday morning, no refugees had been allowed to enter Ingushetia, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Some 30 people who sought to find missing relatives in Chechnya had been allowed to pass the other direction, however, according to the agency.Russian emergency situations minister Sergei Shoigu had given assurances that the situation of an estimated 10,000 stranded refugees would be ``totally'' normalized by midday Friday at the latest. Shoigo said that refugees were to be taken to 17 villages which have been reclaimed by Russian troops. He said tent towns would be established next week to accommodate 30,000 refugees.

President Boris Yeltsin late Friday pardoned the former mayor of the Chechen capital Grozny, Bislan Gantamirov, who was convicted of embezzling budget funds last year and sentenced to six years in prison.