A blast on a canal vital to Kosovo's water and power supplies has sparked a war of words with Serbia, with fears it could further escalate tensions between the two Balkan nations.The explosion late Friday punched a hole in a canal providing water to hundreds of thousands of people and the cooling systems at two coal-fired power plants that generate most of Kosovo's electricity.

Kosovo's Interior minister Xhelal Svecla said on Saturday that police had arrested eight people after an explosion hit a canal that sends water to its two main power plants, an incident Pristina labelled a "terrorist act" by neighbouring Serbia.

Kosovo and Serbia continued to sling allegations at each other on Sunday, just days after an explosion targeting a strategic canal in Kosovo sent tensions soaring between the long-time rivals. "What happened in the village of Varage gave Kurti an alibi to continue the attacks in the north of