GORI, August 8, 2008 (AFP) - Dozens of wounded Georgian soldiers arrived Friday at the military hospital here, returning from an offensive in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, as anxious relatives massed outside.

An AFP reporter saw trucks arriving every 30 seconds on Friday afternoon, each carrying from one to five wounded soldiers -- many unconscious and bleeding -- as ambulances raced back to the front line for more.

Georgian soldiers speaking under condition of anonymity said they had come under heavy fire from Russian aircraft after surrounding the separatist capital of Tskhinvali.

'There are many dead and injured from the planes,' one said.

A spokesman for Russia's foreign ministry denied Russian aircraft had entered Georgian airspace.

About 100 family members waited outside the hospital, many huddled around a list of about 150 names of soldiers, police and civilians who had apparently been injured in the conflict.

'My son, my sister's son and my son-in-law are all in the hospital here. They were soldiers fighting in the conflict,' said Koba Sekhniashvili, one of the relatives.

'We don't know how badly they are injured.... We're waiting and waiting for them to tell us what is happening,' Sekhniashvili said. 'Who needs this? Why is this happening? This is awful.'