At least four people have been killed and about 200 injured in a series of explosions at an arms depot near the Albanian capital, Tirana.

A spokeswoman for Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said it was feared the number of dead could rise.

The explosions occurred as three teams of specialists were dismantling obsolete munitions at the base.

The first blasts set off o ther explosions, which lasted several hours and caused widespread damage.

The force of the blasts was felt in Tirana and the coastal resort of Durres, some 20km (12.5 miles) away, and heard in neighbouring Macedonia.

The prime minister’s spokeswoman, Juela Mecani, said a number of homes near the depot were “completely destroyed”.

Flights at Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport, several kilometres from the base, were suspended for 30 minutes after windows there were shattered.

The injured were admitted to hospital at Durres, as well as the capital’s military hospital and a civilian health centre.

Most of those arriving at Tirana’s military hospital were civilians brought in a stream of ambulances and private cars. Many were women and children.

Ms Mecani told Reuters news agency: “We do not know the exact number [of casualties].

“But we fear the worst for the three teams, each of 21 people, working there at the time. Several were US citizens.”

The US embassy in Tirana said it could not confirm the presence of US personnel at the site.

Human error?

A government statement said four bodies had been recovered from the site, and emergency services were working to retrieve more dead and injured.

About 200 people were already being treated in hospital, it added.

Read the entire article here…

More articles…

Helpmann Awards 2007…

From clown to carpenter to inventor…

MURPHY’S LAWS OF COMBAT…

Eva Longoria for Bebe sports..(2nd part)

Licence to lie for Italian women…

How Apple Will Sell 10 Million iPhones…

The best movie soundtracks…(1st part)

The richest men of the world for 2008…(1st part)

2008 Oscars Worst Dressed…(2nd part)

Iranian to pay 124,000-rose dowry…

Hollywood’s Sexiest Celebrities…(Last part)

Growing iPod repair business founded by students will move to new digs…

Greenpeace International…(1st part)