TIRANA, Aug. 18 – Police have been alarmed by an increase in traffic accidents during the summer when thousands of Albanian immigrants return to their homeland for vacations.
Top police official, Ahmet Prenci, held a meeting with high ranking police officers and harshly criticized and demoted eleven of them involved in enforcing traffic laws.
In July 42 persons were killed and 108 injured in 118 accidents.
Compared to one year ago there have been a sharp rise in traffic fatalities, according to Prenci.
Authorities said that some 250,000 vehicles have entered the country this summer carrying some 900,000 persons, mainly Albanian immigrants coming from Greece and Italy.
Huge border crossing delays caused by Albanians leaving to work in foreign countries
KAKAVIE, Aug. 20 – Hundreds of thousand of Albanian immigrants who had returned to their homeland for vacations have begun to go back to those countries where they work and live, mainly Greece and Italy.
Traffic at border crossing points has been greatly increased in the last days with autos sometimes waiting for hours to cross it.
This border backup happens each year at this time despite measures taken by the Albanian authorities to increase the number of guards checking documents.
Kilometers of queues with cars are created in southern border crossings with Greece and hours of waiting should be expected at Durres and Vlora ports.
