Attack Leaves 8 Dead in Sarajevo

Three mortar shells landed near Sarajevo’s bustling market Saturday and another exploded in a crowded neighborhood, leaving eight people dead and at least 30 wounded in an attack that followed several days of quiet in this capital, hospital officials said.

Shortly before 11 a.m., one shell landed on the roof of a building overlooking the market, situated in an open courtyard in the center of Sarajevo’s old town. Another shell then landed in front of the Sacred Heart Catholic cathedral one block away, and a third smacked into a community center nearby.

Pools of blood stained the street in front of the church. A young boy sat on a curbside as orderlies rushed around him, trying to save the wounded. His mother had died in the attack when shrapnel cut across her neck. The child was speechless and had a glazed look in his eyes. A neighbor took him away by the hand.

In another part of town, one shell killed a pedestrian and wounded about five people, witnesses said.

Before Saturday’s attacks, Sarajevo had been calm for several days, and hundreds of people now regularly walk the streets.