Two feared dead after Macedonian blast

Two people have reportedly died in an explosion that flattened a Macedonian-owned hotel this morning in an area controlled by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

The blast rang out in the Brioni Motel in Celopak, 10km from Tetovo, at around 5am local time. The state news agency said two employees were inside at the time of the explosion.

The attack comes just a week after a 14th-century Orthodox church was bombed in rebel-held territory.

The NLA has apparently denied responsibility for both bombings, saying they were the work of Macedonian paramilitaries bent on destroying a recently signed peace deal.

The ethnic Albanian rebels are on ceasefire because of that agreement, but reports on the ground have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the truce.

Last night, there were sporadic gunfights in villages near the scene of today’s explosion, despite NATO’s plan to begin disarming the rebels tomorrow.

Under this plan, the NLA will hand over an estimated 3,000 weapons to Western troops in exchange for more rights for Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian minority.