Geneva - The northern part of the divided Kosovo town of Kosovska Mitrovica may soon be emptied of ethnic Albanians as a result of ethnic violence last week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said yesterday. "UNHCR fears that if the exodus continues, northern Mitrovica will soon be emptied of its ethnic Albanian population," a spokesman said. More than 650 Albanians have already registered at UNHCR centres since last week's outbreak of violence which left eight ethnic Albanians dead and around 15 Serbs injured, but the organisation believed the actual number of those fleeing to be much higher, he said. Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, is divided by a river, with the north a majority Serb area and the south overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian. The two areas are linked by bridges.