Blasts wound more than 150 at Albania army base

GERDEC, Albania - An explosion at an Albanian army depot near Tirana on Saturday injured more than 150 people, including many children, and damaged the city's nearby international airport, authorities said.

Police said the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but that it was not believed to have been caused by a bomb.

The blast set off ammunition stored at the army depot, and explosions continued for at least two hours. Authorities suspended flights for at least 30 minutes at Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport.

Health Minister Nard Ndoka said at least 155 people, including many children, had suffered injuries. Police spokesman Klodian Branko said no fatalities had been confirmed.
The depot, which is used as a location to destroy excess ammunition, is at Gerdec village, about six miles north of the capital, Tirana. The blast was heard more than 30 miles away, and people fled from nearby villages.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha said the situation was and that the area near the depot was being evacuated, his spokeswoman Juela Mecani told The Associated Press.

President Bamir Topi, speaking on Albanian television, called for calm, to avoid panic and chaos.

Albin Mecaj, 22, who works at the depot, told the AP by telephone that about 80 people had been working on destroying ammunition at the time of the explosion. Mecaj, who was badly burned in the blast, said that usually about 120 people are working there.

Houses more than a mile away were damaged by the blast, an AP photographer at the scene said.

The nearby area lost its power supply after the explosion, and police shut down the highway between Tirana and the seaside town of Durres, 20 miles west of Tirana.


Ime sokarismenos, tixene na pernousa ekini ti stigmi, mazi mou pira ke 5 atoma sto dromo gja to nosokomio, xaos pantou ta parathira mou exoun spasi, dhio apo autous itan amerikani pou dhoulevan eki ala afti efigan me asthenoforo i ali katiki(alvani) metaferthikan me oti vrikame, apolito xaos, mia zesti lava molis stamatisame, pernousa apo eki mazi me ena pirosvestiko dhipla ke thorivous, dhen ixa katalavi ti ixe gini, oute sto radio dhen elege tipota ola ta amaksia pou erxonta apo ta tirana ke pigenan sto noto itan me spasmena tzamia konta stin perioxi idha atoma me ta malia tous kamena ke ta magazia eki giro me spazmena tzamia kapou eki konta sto vore ipirxan atoma pou xriazontan voithia , 2-3 lepta prin tin megali ekriksi me to megalo zesto kima mas vrike pio makria ke dhen pathame tipota me tous traumaties mesa, eutixos oxi sovara ala sokarismeni ke elafra traumaties, i apostasi ine arketa megali apo to simio ke ton dromo omos pali i thermi maza irthe ke se emas, terastia katastrofi, anthropi stin leoforo pou prospathousan na mboune se amaksia, eutixos oli osi pernousan me autokinita stamatousan ke gemizan gja to nosokomio i dhio amerikani sokarismeni ipan oti ipirxan pano apo 30 atoma eki,alava kati alo gjati itan se katastasi pou etreman, o komunizmos me tin mania gja na prostatefti apo tous imperialistes espirne ekatontadhes tetia simia-thanatou-oplostasia gemata me dhinamiti, akoma ke simeri o komunismos sperni thimata.


SHOCK-SHOCK-SHOCK