( Xinhua ) - At least 50 people working at the site of an army depot have been feared dead in an explosion which occurred Saturday near the Albanian capital Tirana, it was reported.
The depot is located near Vora, about 15 kilometers west of Tirana. The explosion can be heard in Tirana and Durres, the biggest port city of Albania.
A witness told a local TV that there were at least 50 people working at the site, dismantling weapons, and they were feared killed in the explosion.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said they still have not got the full information about the situation, and the country's President Bamir Topi said that the exact casualties cannot be established yet.
Albania has destroyed some 46,000 tons of ammunition it has inherited from the past, and is continuing to scrap excess weaponry, hoping this might help the country get the ticket to a NATO membership at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Albania was the first country to destroy 16,000 tons of chemical agents in July last year through the Nunn-Lugar program, which was launched by two U.S. Senators for the elimination of chemical weapons and other substances.