Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'One of worst days' in Sarajevo

Emma Daly
Saturday 01 July 1995 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

TWELVE people were killed and more than 67 wounded in Sarajevo yesterday by Serb mortar attacks, as the UN wrote to the Bosnian Serb commander to protest over his forces' indiscriminate shelling of civilians.

Shattered glass, twisted metal and pools of blood marked the latest civilian casualties. On Marshal Tito Street, a human brain lay on the pavement in a large pool of blood and a sea of glass fragments two hours after the explosion that killed two of the victims. The shell landed between the Catholic cathedral and the central market where 68 people were killed by a Serb shell in February 1994, prompting Nato to create the failed heavy weapons exclusion zone.

Brigadier Cees Nicolai, the UN chief of staff in Bosnia, wrote yesterday to General Ratko Mladic, the suspected war criminal who heads the Bosnian Serb military. "I write to you to protest most strongly about the recent and still continuing indiscriminate and deliberate shelling of the residential places of the city of Sarajevo," the letter said. "These very serious and inexcusable violations [of international law] are liable to trials in an international court."

Such warnings are unlikely to weigh heavily on General Mladic, who is under investigation by the War Crimes Tribunal, and whose forces seem intent on responding to recent Bosnian offensives around Sarajevo by shelling the city. Fresh impacts from yesterday's explosions were visible in at least a dozen places in the city centre and cars brought a constant stream of dead and wounded to Kosevo hospital.

"It was one of the worst days that I can remember," said a reporter who used his car to ferry the wounded.

n ZAGREB - Two people have starved to death in the besieged enclave of Bihac in northwest Bosnia. One man left a letter saying he was hungry but would not resort to begging, according to the UNHCR. The second death was that of a three-year-old boy who weighed only seven kilograms (15lb).

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in