Is it safe to go to bed?

They say that it was the strongest earthquake that happened to Belgrade since the late twenties. The center was on the hills of Mount Maljen, 85 kilometers south of the capital, measuring 5.7 degrees on the Richter scale.

These are the facts, but what do the state media say? All the prime time news confirmed that the earthquake rocked Belgrade 15 minutes after midnight, causing minimum damage and no casualties. Experts said that the region surrounding Mount Maljen showed a surprising geographic structure as the earthquake, although it wasn't a very strong one, was felt in Bosnia, Hungary and even Prague.

The quake rocked Valjevo more than any other town. Eyewitnesses, including myself, will tell you that their flats shook as if a train (a Serbian one of course) had opened a tunnel through them. The inhabitants were caught off guard and unprepared to react. They left their buildings when it was all over, and many of them wondered if the quake was being "helped" by NATO troops. After spending the night in the cold, most of the people went back to bed in the early morning hours.

Valjevo radio reported that villages lying under Mount Maljen sustained the most serious material damage. One of the locals had his house virtually destroyed, as the entire roof went to pieces and most of the walls cracked. In a live radio broadcast moments after the earthquake, he asked if it was safe to go to bed!

The next morning, Serbian television broadcasted a statement by the chairman of a local village, who confirmed that the earthquake caused substantial material damage and, unfortunately, no casualties! he later corrected himself and thanked God that no one was killed. Electricity was restored after a short power cut, and the population was informed that the after-effects might last for a few days. But it seems that some of them don't trust the official authorities much, as rumours had it that another much stronger quake will rock Serbia in a few days...