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Albania rocked by huge explosions Albania rocked by huge explosions
(about 1 hour later)
At least four people have been killed and about 200 injured in a series of explosions at an arms depot near the capital, Tirana. At least four people have been killed and about 200 injured in a series of explosions at an arms depot near the Albanian capital, Tirana.
Juela Mecani, a spokeswoman for Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, said it was feared the death toll could rise. A spokeswoman for Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said it was feared the number of dead could rise.
She said more than 60 people - including US citizens - were at the scene at the time. The explosions occurred as three teams of specialists were dismantling obsolete munitions at the base.
Military experts were disposing of old shells at the time of the blasts. The first blasts set off other explosions, which lasted several hours and caused widespread damage.
They were reported to be being assisted by employees of a US company contracted by Nato to help the Albanian army dispose of surplus munitions. The force of the blasts was felt in Tirana and the coastal resort of Durres, some 20km (12.5 miles) away, and heard in neighbouring Macedonia.
The prime minister's spokeswoman, Juela Mecani, said a number of homes near the depot were "completely destroyed".
In pictures: Albania blasts'Shrapnel falling from sky'In pictures: Albania blasts'Shrapnel falling from sky'
The explosions at the army depot in Gerdec village, some 10km north of Tirana, were heard more than 50km (30 miles) away. Flights at Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport, several kilometres from the base, were suspended for 30 minutes after windows there were shattered.
The initial explosion was followed by a series of blasts, and ammunition continued to detonate for hours. The injured were admitted to hospital at Durres, as well as the capital's military hospital and a civilian health centre.
Attempts to fly rescuers into the area by helicopter were thwarted by the continuing explosions, and armoured vehicles were used to ferry rescue units into the area. Most of those arriving at Tirana's military hospital were civilians brought in a stream of ambulances and private cars. Many were women and children.
Injured people were taken to nearby hospitals. Local media reports said their injuries included burns, concussion, broken limbs, and cuts from flying glass and shrapnel. Ms Mecani told Reuters news agency: "We do not know the exact number [of casualties].
"The number of injured is considerable," Mr Berisha told reporters. "But we fear the worst for the three teams, each of 21 people, working there at the time. Several were US citizens."
The US embassy in Tirana said it could not confirm the presence of US personnel at the site.
Human error?
A government statement said four bodies had been recovered from the site, and emergency services were working to retrieve more dead and injured.
About 200 people were already being treated in hospital, it added.
The problem of ammunition in Albania is one of the gravest, and a continuous threat Prime Minister Sali Berisha
"Ten of them are critical, others have light injuries and many are in shock," Health Minister Nard Ndoka told Reuters.
Attempts to fly rescuers into the area by helicopter were initially thwarted by the continuing explosions, and armoured vehicles were used to ferry rescue units into the area.
"The most dangerous area, where it is foreseen there will be dead, is the explosion site where none has been able to go yet," said Interior Minister Bujar Nishani, adding that army and police forces were some 50m from the site.
Mr Berisha - who visited some of the injured in hospital - said he could not rule out human error as the cause of the explosions, but added that the ammunition could have exploded spontaneously because of its age.Mr Berisha - who visited some of the injured in hospital - said he could not rule out human error as the cause of the explosions, but added that the ammunition could have exploded spontaneously because of its age.
"The problem of ammunition in Albania is one of the gravest, and a continuous threat," Mr Berisha said."The problem of ammunition in Albania is one of the gravest, and a continuous threat," Mr Berisha said.
"There is a colossal, crazy amount of it dating back to 1945.""There is a colossal, crazy amount of it dating back to 1945."
Flights were suspended at Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport, several kilometres from the base, for 30 minutes after windows there were shattered. Nato membership
The US embassy in Tirana said it was unable to confirm that there were US citizens at the depot. The US, Italy, Macedonia, Turkey and Kosovo have offered aid to Albanian authorities.
The base was a central collection point for an arsenal amassed by Albania's former communist dictatorship.
Albania has about 100,000 tons of excess ammunition stored in former army depots across the country, according to Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu.
Nato countries, particularly the US, Canada and Norway, have been helping with funding for Albania to destroy excess ammunition and obsolete weaponry.
Albania hopes to be invited to join the Western military alliance's summit in Romania next month.
Are you in the area of the explosions? Do you have any information you would like to share? Send us your comments using the form below.Are you in the area of the explosions? Do you have any information you would like to share? Send us your comments using the form below.
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