Air-raid sirens cleared the streets of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, by early yesterday afternoon as residents prepared for more NATO air assaults and possible revenge attacks by Serbs.
A warning sounded repeatedly just after 1.30 p.m. (12.30 Irish time). Traffic died away on the already quiet roads of a city left stunned by NATO's heavy overnight air assault on at least four large targets nearby.
It was the second warning burst during the day, though neither was followed by air strikes. Fire crews extinguished fires from NATO's most spectacular hit, a heavy strike around midnight on an industrial plant to the southwest of the city beside the main military barracks.
A military base in the western Kosovo town of Pec was also hit, ethnic Albanian sources said. NATO has pledged to limit Belgrade's ability to wage war on separatist guerrillas whose leaders have signed a peace deal.
"The sky was burning. I spent the night running from one window to another trying to figure out where the blasts were coming from," said Mimosa (19), who lives in an apartment block close to a large army depot in western Pristina.
Power was restored to parts of blacked-out Pristina at dawn but water supplies were intermittent. The electricity was cut 10 minutes after the first NATO strike. Residents cowered at home, afraid to venture out after reports of arbitrary killings of ethnic Albanian politicians, the closure of an Albanian-language newspaper and attacks on property by Serbs. Ethnic Albanians appeared to have been the victims of sporadic overnight Serbian attacks. Five people were reported killed by gunmen in the town of Djakovica, south of Pristina, when they tried to investigate the burning of town centre shops.
The local head of a moderate ethnic Albanian party was shot dead in the northern town of Mitrovica, as were a union leader, his mother and son, ethnic Albanian sources said.
Serb police also moved to shut down the last major Albanian-language newspaper. The publisher, Mr Veton Surroi, said he was in hiding after police shot his office guard and locked the doors.
A string of ethnic Albanian cafes, stores and a private medical clinic appeared to have been attacked with grenades or bombs during the night. Their windows were smashed, the buildings burnt and equipment scattered by the roadside. Many Kosovars had worried that the conflict would ignite bitter communal violence between Serbs and ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 per cent of the population.
So far, their worst fears have not been realised, but local people fear attacks may escalate, especially as Serbian authorities were limiting access for the Western press and had ordered journalists from NATO countries to leave. Alliance attacks appeared to have badly damaged telephone lines and no Serbian officials could be reached to establish casualty figures.
"I thought half the town was blown up. When I woke up in the morning I was surprised to see there were still houses standing," said Hajrija (42), from northern Pristina.
Few people moved in the morning through the streets of the city of 200,000 inhabitants, normally bustling with workers and shoppers. Bakeries were closed. Police armoured vehicles stood on key corners. A tank was parked beside a military headquarters.
"Most people bought bread yesterday. They were only allowed four loaves each, so they went from place to place or sent their children out to buy for them," said one young ethnic Albanian. "We'll be staying at home. We haven't made any plans to go anywhere," she said.