The bombing of Aleksinac - the first civilian villages targeted

On 27 March 1999, NATO projectiles mistakenly hit residential buildings in Aleksinac, a small town in central Serbia. This was the first mass loss of civilian life in a residential settlement.

Tragic toll

5 civilians were killed in the attack:

• Milica Rakić (3 years old)
• Bojana Stojanović (15 years old)
• Milan Stojković (45 years old)
• Dragana Stojković (43 years old)
• Slavica Đorđević (38 years old)

NATO justification

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea claimed that they had targeted a "military depot" nearby, but described the civilian deaths as "collateral damage".

Material damage

17 residential buildings were destroyed, more than 300 houses damaged. The school and the hospital were severely damaged.