CONSEQUENCES OF MOSTAR BLAST DISASTROUS - CORIC

MOSTAR, 19 Sept (Hina) - The car bomb, which went off Thursday night in western Mostar, had been planted by top professionals, Valentin Coric, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Interior Minister said in a statement Friday. Twenty-nine people were seriously or lightly wounded in the blast and one person was transported to a hospital in Split by Stabilisation Force (SFOR) soldiers. The site of the blast had been chosen carefully, Coric said, adding that the consequences were disastrous and scenes reminded of those in Beirut, Algiers or Cairo. According to Mostar police, the explosion left a crater 240 cm wide and 85 cm deep. It destroyed 120 flats, of them 56 completely, as well as 120 cars, 75 of them completely. Anxiety in the town is intense and people are afraid of new car bombs, Coric said. He called on Mostar residents to be calm but cautious and to inform police about any suspicious details. The police already have some data as to the identity of the perpetrators, but they will not be published in the interest of investigation, Coric said. (hina) jn rm 191557 MET sep 97