War in the Balkans: Readers' cash still pours in

READERS OF The Independent are continuing to respond generously to our appeal for help for the refugees of Kosovo. The total has now exceeded pounds 585,000.

"The money is still pouring in. This is very encouraging" said a spokesman for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), the body co-ordinating the appeal. We are amazed at the generosity of your readers."

The money will be used to buy food blankets, medical supplies, emergency shelters sanitation and water purification equipment.

More than 600,000 Kosovo Albanians have fled or been forced from their homes by the Serbs. Nearly 140,000 are now living in huge refugee camps in Macedonia, while 350,000 are in Albania. About 15,000 refugees have been flown to safety in western Europe.

Tens of thousands more flooded into the camps yesterday and many are surviving without any shelter.