Uzbek troops Friday opened fire in a central square of the eastern Uzbek town of Andizhan, where thousands of protesters had gathered, breaking a temporary calm amid reports of negotiations between insurrection leaders and security forces, according to reports reaching here from Uzbekistan.

A truckload of soldiers suddenly appeared in the square and began to fire into the air in an apparent bid to disperse the crowd. One person was reportedly found dead after the shooting.

Shortly after the shooting, a helicopter began circling above the area and more trucks carrying troops rushed in and fired frequently into the air.

Earlier, reports by Russian news agencies from Uzbekistan said that rebels holding a key government building and police hostages had refused to compromise in negotiations with officials.

Protesters began to rally on Wednesday, demanding the release of 23 men on trial for allegedly conducting anti-constitutional activities and forming a criminal and extremist organization. All of the defendants pleaded not guilty at the trial that opened in February.

Rebels heading the protests later broke into the town's high security prison and released some 2,000 inmates. They also stormed a military base and seized local administrative buildings.

Bodies could be seen lay on the streets covered in blood and buildings were set ablaze, reports said. Nine people were reportedly killed and 34 wounded in the clashes.

Amid escalating tension, Kyrgyzstan's border guards said they had closed the border with Uzbekistan.