ASMARA, Eritrea Ethiopian warplanes bombed eritrea's capital Asmara for a second straight day on Saturday with the target again appearing to be the military and civilian airports. A Reuters correspondent in the capital said the raid began at 9.45 a.m. (0645 GMT) and was answered by a hail of anti-aircraft fire. It was not immediately clear what targets had been struck or if there were any casualties.

The horn of Africa neighbours launched bombing raids against each other on Friday as a simmering border dispute flared into a new dimension of violence. Eritrea inflicted more casualties in an air strike on a northern Ethiopian town but Ethiopia struck at the heart of the Eritrean capital. Other African nations pleaded with two of the continent's poorest countries to halt their escalating conflict, while the United States protested that attacks on the airport in Asmara endangered foreign nationals trying to flee.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed for an immediate ceasefire, saying he was deeply distressed by the fighting. Nearly 200 foreigners were evacuated from Asmara late on Friday by a U.S.-chartered A300 Airbus, but dozens more were left stranded when Eritrea later refused Britain permission to send a second charter. (Reutr)