TENS of thousands of people who fled fighting in the Central African Republic capital Bangui are sheltering from heavy rain in nearby forests, eating wild fruit to survive, witnesses said on Wednesday. Unconfirmed estimates of the exodus, mainly of women, children and elderly people, range up to 50 000 in the wake of a failed coup attempt late last month. Loyalist soldiers have since been seeking to flush out mutineers hiding in the south of the capital in mopping-up operations that have claimed between 250 and 300 lives, according to unofficial estimates. Several cases of malaria and starvation have been reported among the displaced people lining the road to Mbaiki, 90km southwest of Bangui, the witnesses said. – AFP