Bosnia marks 24 years since Sarajevo market bombing

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - FEBRUARY 05: Bosnians gathered on Monday to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 1994 Markale massacre, which took the lives of 68 people and injured nearly 150. The Markale marketplace shelling was one of the biggest massacres committed during the siege of Sarajevo between April 1992 and December 1995. During the gathering, a crowd including family members of the victims as well as survivors paid tribute, laid wreaths, and prayed for the dead. The ceremony was also attended by Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Elmedin Konakovic, Bosnian Veterans Affairs Minister Salko Bukvarevic, and other officials. Bukvarevic stressed that during the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people faced the threat of extermination. "Those who wanted to destroy our country could not reach their goals, but thousands of our citizens, our children were killed," said Bukvarevic. Hasan Banda, who was injured in the attack while shopping for his children, said future generations should be told what happened here. "Suddenly there was an explosion. Human parts were scattered all over the market," he remembered.Vahida Tvico, a witness to the massacre, said that the market was very crowded that day and that after the explosion, everything looked red. (Footage by Elman Omic/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)