ARMENIA: Fierce fighting raged for a second day following a flare-up of a decades-old conflict in the Caucasus region of south-eastern Europe, BBC reported.

Dozens of deaths were reported in battles between forces fighting for Armenia and Azerbaijan on Monday.

At the heart of the conflict is a dispute over control of the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since a war ended in 1994.

Tens of thousands of people died during that war and a million others were forced to leave their homes.

On Monday night authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reported that another 26 of its servicemen had been killed in the fighting, bringing its total losses to more than 80.

(With inputs from Agencies)