It's a shame that the internet is a virtual medium, because there are a lot of people out there that I'd like to express my deep feelings of friendship to, and having spent the last two years here in Serbia, I'd like to do it in a truly Serbian way.
Thieves Arrested at Albania Explosion Site
| 26 May 2008 |
Twenty six people died, more than 300 were injured and over 3,000 were left homeless following blasts at Gerdec, just 10 kilometers outside Tirana.
According to the emergency services, 420 houses were totally destroyed, 188 were seriously damaged, 200 sustained major damage and 1600 others were slightly damaged.
The area has been cordoned off by the army, but people have been venturing into the explosion zone at night to collect exploded howitzer shells.
“This area is still very dangerous and it will take more than 18 months to clean it up,” an army spokesperson told Balkan Insight.
Prosecutors have launched a probe into the March 15 explosions and are seeking to indict former Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu. Prosecutor-General Ina Rama has asked parliament to lift Mediu's immunity. The former defence minister resigned from the government in the days following the blasts.
“The violation of the laws and procedures of security and ammunition storage and the mismanagement of the disposal process caused the sparks that set off the massive explosions," Rama said in her request for Mediu's immunity to be lifted.
She added that "a flagrant violation in this process has been the employment of children."
Rama accuses the former defence minister of abuse of power. As a member of parliament, however, he enjoys immunity from formal charges and cannot be formally placed under investigation.
Mediu, leader of the Republican Party, a member of the governing coalition, maintains that he is innocent. In a news conference after the request to lift his immunity he complained of a one-sided investigation.
Parliament has yet to respond to the Prosecutor-General’s request.
