Gerdec - Hell on Earth

15th March 2008 Gerdec, Albania Twenty-six people were killed, and more than 300 were injured when massive explosions destroyed the site for decommissioning of expired ammunition near the village of Gerdec, 20 km north of Tirana. Blasts were heard also in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Greece. More than 4,000 people were evacuated, and 2,500 houses have been destroyed. The total cost of the material damage is estimated to be USD 400 million. In 2006, the Albanian Ministry of Defense contracted the USA-based private company SACI to decommission artillery shells and the remaining 100 tons of expired ammunition. Re-packing and dismantling of ammunition at the dump were carried out by the local subcontractor of SACI, Alb-Demil. The causes of the explosion are credited to the fundamental error in the design of the machinery used. Inhabitants of the areas affected by the blast staged protests and blocked the Tirana-Durres highway, demanding the resignation of the Minister of MOD. Subsequently, Mr. Fatmir Mediu, Minister of Defense, resigned, and several people were arrested, including the executive director of Alb-Demil, the subcontractor of SACI. When the depot exploded, villagers described it as the 'hell on earth.'