Aug 19, 2008 7:22 pm US/Eastern
Several Tri-State Area Children Trapped In Georgia
Politicians Assure Frantic Parents The U.S. Government Is Working Hard To Bring Them All Home Safely
NEW YORK (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
The crisis in Georgia is hitting home for many parents in the tri-state area. Their children are trapped in the conflict and as CBS 2 HD has learned, these families are now getting desperate.
Georgia's meager defense has proven no match for Russian tanks. The military is moving around Gori freely with little sign of a withdrawal. Within that province, children from our area trapped in a crisis they could have never imagined.
"When I called him he said, 'But mom, why are you not coming and take me?' And it kills me," Marina Tsartsidce said.
Tsartsidce fears for her 8-year-old son, Nicolas. He spent his summer with relatives in Gori. Now he spends every day wishing he was home.
"I always thinking I'm guilty because I sent him this summer back to my country," Tsartsidce said.
She is not alone.
"I don't know what to do. I feel helpless," Vasily Dzhordhadze said.
The Dzhordhadze's sent their teenagers, 14-year-old Kate and 15-year-old George, to stay with family in the capital of Tbilisi.
"During these terrible moments I was even ready to fly. There was no flight. The Georgian airport is just bombarded every day," Dzhordhadze said.
The children are among at least seven from New York and New Jersey with no way out. Among them, 7-year-old Ashley and 3-year-old Sophia Evans from Howell, N.J. remain in hiding with family there, too.
Congressman Tim Bishop is in constant communication with the U.S. Embassy.
"They are very aware of these kids and recognize the imperative to get them out of there," Bishop said.
Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey is on his way to Georgia right now to help bring many of those children home.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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