Demilitarization Process Suspected of Causing Explosion at Ammunition Depot

Tirana, Albania 16 people were killed when a series of explosions occurred at an ammunition storage depot. The exact cause of the incident is unknown but Authorities suspect that it may have occurred as a result of on-going demilitarization operations involving large artillery projectiles.

It was reported that the explosions lasted for over 14 hours causing munitions to "rain down" on nearby homes and villages. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of police have been involved with the resulting search and rescue operations. The U.S. and other countries have provided technical assistance and personnel to support the search and rescue efforts. Search and rescue efforts however have been hampered due to the presence of unexploded munitions that remain littered throughout the area. At least 300 people have been injured as a result of the accident and at least 10 others remain missing.

Albania has over 100,000 tons of excess ammunition stored in former army depots across the country. The excess ammunition includes large caches of Russian and Chinese artillery shells made in the 1960s, when Albania was under communist rule. Demilitarization efforts throughput Albania involve hundreds of workers spread throughout numerous sites.

Other countries including the U.S., Canada and Norway, have been helping Albania demilitarize and dispose of excess ammunition and obsolete weapons. However, it was reported that it was a local Albanian company that was carrying out the demilitarization operation suspected of causing the explosion. It's unknown at this time what type of projectile it was that caused the initial explosion or what type of demilitarization process was being performed when it exploded. At this point, Authorities have not ruled out foul play. The area where the explosion occurred has been declared an emergency and the Albanian Government has promised relief for villagers who lost their homes as a result of the explosions.