Hellenic Forums Omogenia - YASOU - Hellenism: 100,000 tons of ammunition is scattered across Albania.

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A major explosion at an Albanian military base was reported a while ago on the outskirts of the capital Tirana. First information speaks of 250 injured people at least. Most of them were civilians living near the military base. Houses demolished from the explosion while windows broke in the centre of the Albanian capital. The explosion was also felt 20 Km. away in Durres city. A 63 people crew of a US company were working in the tunnel dismantling ammunition. No one knows the exact number of dead, while rescue crews are in contact with the trapped on the tunnel. Hospitals are crammed with injured people mainly from nearby areas.
Greek military hospital in Argyrokastro and Greek Hospital in Greece Ioannina and Athens is in alert for the treatment of possible emergencies. Foreign Affairs Minister Mrs. Dora Bakoyiannis had contact with her Albanian counterpart and expressed Greece’s solidarity to neighboring Albania for this tragic incident and its intention to help.

The massive explosions at an arms dump in Albania have the magnitude of national disaster.
The number of victims remains unspecified, while nine people are reported dead, dozens missing and over 250 injured, 12 of which are in critical conditions. However, government sources speak of at least 60 dead. The victims include many women and children of a nearby village, many of which had been working the camp. Rescue teams have begun approaching the site of the tragedy with caution at noon, as fresh blasts take place. The blast took place in Gerdec, 12 kilometres north of Tirana Saturday.
Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has expressed Greece’s sympathy when he communicated with his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha, informing him that Greece will offer every possible aid. Greek hospitals have already received injured, while a military aircraft carrying blood and medical staff has arrived in Tirana. The Albanian PM described the incident a terrible tragedy.

Consecutive Blasts

The first blast took place in the afternoon when American pyrotechnists were trying to disarm old ammunition dating back to World War II in an ammunition dump. The blast was so powerful that it was registered as a tremor at the Geodynamic Institute of Strasburg, while the echo was heard in Skopje, about 200 kilometres away. More blasts followed dispersing ammunition in a two-kilometre angle.
The blast had made craters, some as big as 50 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep.

As per the Albnanian PM about 200 houses were destroyed completely, while 300 more remain uninhabited. About 4,000 people have left their homes, while the country’s infrastructure including telecommunications has suffered extensive damage. Moreover, Tirana airport also closed temporarily.

"Ten minutes passed before the biggest blast and many workers used this time to flee," its statement said.

In the nearby village of Gerdec, several homes stood only as skeletons, the bricks around their concrete pillars shattered and the red roof tiles blown all over the hillside. The shockwave uprooted shrubs and cut olive trees down to stumps.

According to information, 110 civilians and an unspecified number of military personnel were in the military installations.

The Interior minister spoke of trapped people in the dump, adding that only when the blasts stop they will be able to come out.

The American Pentagon issued an announcement which reads that it knows nothing about dead or injured American civilians or military personnel.

Many people have been hospitalized, while the area has been cordoned off.

Mr Berisha promised an official inquiry into the accident after visiting victims in hospitals in Tirana.
"The problem of ammunition in Albania is one of the gravest, and a continuous threat," Mr Berisha said. It is estimated that about 100,000 tons of ammunition is scattered across Albania.