Somalia ? Ethiopian forces backing Somalia’s weak transitional government shelled anti-government insurgents in the capital for the fifth straight day Monday, adding to the death and destruction and sending hundreds more families fleeing from the city.

Human rights organizations and health officials said 220 civilians were confirmed dead and 300 have been wounded since Thursday.

The shelling has been so intense that families have been unable to bring the wounded to hospitals or to collect those who died. In some parts of the city, decomposing corpses litter the streets.

Entire city blocks have been emptied in the fighting, as more than 320,000 people have fled Mogadishu since February.

Worse may be yet to come. Salad Ali Jelle, the Somali deputy defense minister, called on residents living in areas where insurgents are concentrated to evacuate their homes immediately, warning that they’re about to come under attack.

“People in Mogadishu should leave their homes near the strongholds of terrorists,” he said. “We will crack down on insurgents and terrorists very soon.”