Aug 15, 2008 12:14 pm US/Eastern
Uncle Of Trapped N.J. Girls Arrives In Georgia
Sisters Unable To Leave Due To Russian-Georgian Conflict
Uncle, A Former Georgian Soldier, To Stay With Them Until They Can Leave
TRENTON (CBS) ―
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Monmouth County, N.J., sisters Ashley, left, 7, and Sophia Evans, 3, became trapped in the Republic of Georgia when Russian troops invaded in August 2008 while they were visiting their grandparents.
CBS
A congressman says the uncle of two New Jersey girls trapped in the Republic of Georgia has reached the home where the children are staying.
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-Mercer/Burlington, says Beso Tsutskiridze had arrived at his parents' house in the western village of Chiatura.
Smith says the uncle took a plane to Armenia earlier this week and then crossed the border into Georgia with a news crew. The 28-year-old former member of the Georgian military made his way to Chiatura on foot after a Russian checkpoint turned back his car.
Smith said Ashley Evans, 7, and her sister Sophia, 3, will stay put for now because U.S. Government officials have told him that an extraction, or rescue mission, might put the girls in more danger.
"If it gets worse, they've got to get my kids," said Tea Evans, the girls' mother and a native of Georgia, during an interview this week with CBS 2 HD's Christine Sloan. "Please. I'm praying."
The girls were visiting their grandparents when Russian troops invaded Georgia last week. Russian checkpoints have blocked their paths to escape.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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