10 dead in car accident

TIRANA, March 12 – Ten persons drowned Monday after their minivan fell off a cliff into a river in a northern area. There were also three survivors who said that the van slid off after a defect and fell into the Kir River in Dukagjin area, some 140 kilometers north of capital Tirana. Police learnt about the accident in the afternoon though it occurred before noon. One of the survivors walked for hours until he was found. The area was also off limits for the mobile phones. The van was taking persons of the same big family to a murder ceremony. Police found it very hard to take the bodies out of the Kir River. Victims were from 14 to 70 years old. More than 20 years ago two dozen persons had died in an accident in almost the same place.
President Alfred Moisiu, who visited one of the survivors, criticized road police for the increased number of road accidents in the country. He asked them to set stronger rules to avoid accidents.
In another accident Wednesday in Mollas, Elbasan a small truck killed five persons. The truck driver first left he area and was arrested by police some hours later. It was learnt the driver was driving together with his family.
On Saturday Indrit Nasufi, 18, was driving a Fiat Uno and lost control of the car in Berzhite, near Tirana. Three passengers in the car died while Nasufi was injured seriously.