BULQIZE, Aug. 10 – Zaim Hysa, 43, died after a ‘mountain’ of chromium fell onto his shoulders while working in the Bulqiza mine.
Hysa has becomes the third victim in the same mine after two miners died in June. Hysa was also a senior official of the independent trade union of the miners.
The mine is currently operated by the Russian-Austrian Darfo Albania company.
A group of miners, out of some 660 working in the chromium mine, held a hunger strike two months ago asking the company to increase their salary and the government to intervene in such cases. The strike came to an end after the miners received a 30 percent pay rise.
Hysa was the most active miner in the action.
Miners complain of the working conditions in the mine. Another miner, Shkelqim Fiku, who was with Hysa at the time of the accident said that some two tons of chromium fell over their shoulders.
The Prosecutor’s office has already begun an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
The Ministry of Industry said in a statement that the dead miner had regular training on coping with such situations and that he was also equipped with the necessary clothing and other things needed to work. But it did not reach any conclusion whether the required working standards were applied, an issue which miners have continuously complained about.
