(17 Feb 2001) Serbo-Croat/Nat
Thousands of Serbs demonstrated in Yugoslavia on Saturday in condemnation of Fridays bus bombing that killed seven Serbs and injured 43 others.
At a church service, Serbs, led by Oliver Ivanovic, lit candles and prayed for the dead.
Mourners for the bomb victims mingled with other Serbs marking a traditional Orthodox Day of the Dead in the graveyard of the Serb enclave of Gracanica, where the attack - the deadliest in more than a year - raised fears of a resurgence of ethnic violence in Kosovo.
While the Yugoslav government declared a day of mourning, peacekeepers in Kosovo prepared for clashes, blocking roads in an effort to keep ethnic Albanian and Serb communities apart.
Serb leaders in Kosovska Mitrovica demanded the resignation of the commander of NATO-led peacekeepers in the province, Lieutenant General Carlo Cabigiosu, saying he has failed to guarantee their safety.
Meantime, Serbian leader for Kosovo, Momcilo Trajkovic, condemned Friday's bus bomb attack, calling it a professional hit.
Visiting some of the 43 Serbs wounded in the explosion near Podujevo, Trajkovic said "it was done in so professional a manner that I cannot believe it. Even KFOR could not stop this".
The most seriously wounded Serbs are being treated at the U-S base, Camp Bondsteel, just outside Pristina.
Recounting the moment of impact, injured Suncica Denic said she after hearing the explosion she thought she was dead, and remembers "seeing blood everywhere" upon regaining consciousness.
Forensic teams are still examining the scene of the bomb blast outside the ethnic Albanian-majority town of Podujevo.
Peacekeepers said a number of people were still missing and the death toll could rise.
The remote controlled bomb ripped apart the bus carrying Serb families from Serbia to Gracanica, where they planned to mourn relatives in commemoration of the Day of the Dead.
NATO detained two ethnic Albanians near the scene.
SOUNDBITE (Serbian)
"I was sitting in the end of the bus for a second, I just heard the big explosion. I thought that I was dead and I lost consciousness afterwards. I remember opening my eyes and seeing blood everywhere."
SUPERCAPTION: Suncica Denic, Bombing Victim
SOUNDBITE: (Serbian)
"This is unacceptable. This is a terrorist attack. It was done in so professional a way that I cannot believe it. Even KFOR could not stop this. Our experts say that this is done by professional people. This is a terrorist attack."
SUPERCAPTION: Momcilo Trajkovic, Serbian Leader for Kosovo
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