A Kosovar refugee looks for her family at the entrance of the transit camp at Blace RELATED VIDEO NATO is preparing for peacekeeping by conducting live fire exercises in Macedonia. CNN's Kasra Naji takes a look. (May 18) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Rusty Dornin reports on Albanian villagers' fight for their land (May 17) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Walter Rodgers explains how the Yugoslav media help garner support for Milosevic (May 17) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Kosovo, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery.        Windows Media Real        28 K 80 K IMAGE GALLERY A cracked window to a war To the corners of the world: The flight of Kosovo's refugees  ALSO: Serb officials say Yugoslavia 'ready to cut a deal' 2 freed Yugoslav POWs 'in good health' Rugova says the best hope for Kosovo Albanians is independence  THE DELUGE OF REFUGEES: Where are they going?  MESSAGE BOARD: China tomorrow Crisis in Kosovo  MAPS: NATO officials describe the air campaign  IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: NATO at 50 Strike on Yugoslavia

May 18, 1999
Web posted at: 1:31 p.m. EDT (1731 GMT)

BLACE, Macedonia (CNN) -- The number of Kosovo refugees evacuated from Macedonia to third countries topped the 50,000 mark Tuesday, when 1,400 ethnic Albanians left for Turkey and Canada.

At the same time, new refugees were allowed to enter Macedonia at the Blace border crossing. More than 1,000 people who were not allowed off a train from Kosovo on Monday tried again and were successful.

One refugee said that her fellow passengers were kept on the train and sent back to Kurasevac, where all her money was taken. The group was allowed back on the train Tuesday, she said.

U.N. officials report that some refugees said they had been "roughed up" by Serb police.

"Some people were beaten up on the train, and some people were beaten up when they got off the train," said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Astrud Van Ganderinstart.

Aid workers were alarmed at the condition of the refugees arriving Tuesday -- and at reports that food was nearly impossible to find in the embattled province.

"It would appear that the reserves are running out," said Heather Hill of the World Food Program. "Most of the people said they were living on reserves, and that was getting down to the last three or four days."

After several hours, the largest group to arrive at the border in nearly two weeks was put on buses and driven to Macedonia's refugee camps.

Those camps are no longer overcrowded -- there is room for 17,000 more refugees, according to relief officials.

In Albania, which has taken in the largest number of refugees, British Prime Minister Tony Blair promised the refugees that they would soon return to their homes.

"We, the countries of NATO, have come together in this mission to make sure that we bring justice and hope to these people here," Blair said. "they are our cause and we will not let them down."

Blair spent nearly an hour talking with displaced families in the Elbasan camp in central Albania. It was the first visit by a British prime minister to Albania, Europe's poorest country.

Following his visit, Blair and his Albanian counterpart, Pandeli Majko, who also toured the camp, held talks in Tirana.

Correspondent Tom Mintier contributed to this report.