PRISHTINA, March 13 (KIC) - A heavy explosion occurred in downtown Podujeva, near the town market, just past 13:00 CET today, to only be followed by a second, perhaps even more powerful, explosion ten minutes later in another part, the very center of the town, near the post office in Podujeva, 30 km north of capital Prishtina.

Many casualties are feared to have resulted from the two incidents. Initial, still unconfirmed, reports say five people have been killed, and as many as thirty wounded.

Besnik Shabani (20) has been confirmed as killed, whereas Shukrije Berisha (f, 30) and Jusuf Jusufi, resident of Dumnicë village, have been reported seriously wounded.

Local LDK sources said the explosive device in the second detonation had been planted in a garbage container near a kiosk on the main avenue of the town of Podujeva, home to 20,000, 99 percent of whom Albanians.

The wounded people have been taken to the Podujeva Health Center, but also to Prishtina.

Today (Saturday) is a market-day in Podujeva. The town is packed with people on Saturdays.

The marketplace, where the first explosion took place, has been blocked by Serbian forces.

The sound of heavy shelling can be heard in the town of Vushtrri, 25 km northwest of Prishtina, and on the eastern side of the municipality.

Serbs have been pounding Albanian villages from their bases in Bukosh and Dolak. There has been no immediate word on casualties, LDK sources said late in the morning today.

An extremely dangerous situation has been reported in other villages at the foot of the Çiçavica massif, on the western side of the Vushtrri municipality. The village of Brusnik was shelled last night. The Serb armor targeted mostly two Albanian family compounds, Muzaqi and Shaqiri.

Last night, Serbian forces continued shelling the villages of Mihaliq, Druar and Bivolak, municipality of Vushtrri.

PRISHTINA, March 13 (KIC) - Serbian military and paramilitary police forces launched today (Saturday) a fierce attack against the villages of Vaganicë and Verrnicë, municipality of Mitrovica, such as Galicë, Oshlan, Pantinë and Lkej of Vushtrri, and Lubavec of Skenderaj.

Heavy detonations have been heard in these villages since 7:30 CET today, local LDK sources in Mitrovica said.

Smoke has been billowing from these attacked villages.

At 12:20 CET today, the shelling intensified, and ground-to-ground rockets were reported being employed by Serbian forces.

In Vaganicë and Verrnicë, in the neighboring villages of Vushtrri, as well as in Lubavec village of Skenderaj ('Skenderaj'), heavy and small arms fire was heard also last night, from 18:00 CET on Friday through 02:00 CET on Saturday. Two dozen Serb shells landed in the village of Verrnicë, and 16 others in Lubavec last night. No casualties were reported.

Serbian soldiers have been forcefully occupying or vandalizing Albanian houses in Frashër i Vogël village of Mitrovica, local sources said.

Four Serb army lorries and four APCs left for Mihaliq today, whereas an army tank for Bukosh village.

The Serbian army told the OSCE they would engage in training exercises there, whereas local residents were told they had gone there to "defend themselves against NATO" troops.