THE STARI MOST, Mostar's spectacular 16th-century stone bridge and one of Bosnia-Herzegovina's greatest architectural treasures, collapsed yesterday in a barrage of Croatian shells. It was a moment Bosnians, particularly those under siege in east Mostar, had prayed would never happen.
For at least 25,000 Bosnians trapped on the city's east side the collapse is a disaster - a tremendous blow to morale and a strategic victory for the Croats.
The bridge was the only access to a source of drinking water which people retrieved by scurrying across at night under threat of sniper fire. It was also the main route to the places where the front line crossed into west 'Croatian' Mostar.