New Kosova Report

Birthday boat sinks, killing 16 in Albania

Thursday, 06 March 2008

Birthday boat sinks in Albania

TIRANA - An overloaded boat carrying people back from a birthday party capsized on a lake near the Albanian capital on Thursday, killing 16 people, police said.

The disaster struck after the group had left a popular restaurant at Lake Farka, southeast of Tirana, in one boat, witnesses said.

The victims, from three families, had originally gone to the restaurant in two boats, but packed into only one boat for the return, they added.

Among the dead were two three-year-olds and Alban Hysa, who was celebrating his 21st birthday, and his parents, according to witnesses at the scene.

"I heard cries, I left and when I saw what occurred, I climbed aboard another boat and called the police," said Erjona Dibra, the restaurant owner's 17-year-old daughter.

Police said that only seven or eight people should have been on the small boat when it sank.

Of the 16 dead, at least seven were women, but four people survived and were rescued, said police spokeswoman Alma Katragjini.

"We have recovered the bodies of 16 people and four others were saved," Katragjini said.

The Albanian government later declared a day of national mourning and decided to cover all funeral expenses for the victims.

"I have two gifts for my two nephews who today would have celebrated their third birthdays," said 74-year-old Ismet Osmani.

"We had prepared for another party (but) I have come to see them for the last time in the morgue," said Osmani, who held two gold bracelets in his trembling hands.

Lake Farka has been pushed as a tourist zone by Albanian authorities and is widely used by inhabitants of the capital.