Albania sacks top general in wake of deadly blast

Jun 16, 2008, 12:45 GMT

Tirana, Albania - Albanian President Bamir Topi sacked the country's top general Luan Hoxha on Monday, three months after negligence led to a huge blast in a military munitions depot and killed at least 25 people.

The blast occurred on March 15 during the cleaning of an old, Communist-era depot at Gerdec, on the outskirts of Tirana. The explosion of thousands of tons of decades-old ordnance turned the compound into a 100-metres wide crater.

More than 300 people were injured in the blast, which was registered by Mediterranean seismographs.

Topi also sacked the commander of the military support unit at Gerdec, General Zija Bahja, while Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu and another general, Shpetim Spahiu, resigned in the wake of the blast.

Initial reports indicated that the blast was casued by negligence during the clean-out operation at the depot, one of many Albania has to empty in a bid to become a NATO member.

A former hard-line Communist stronghold, Albania received an invitation to join NATO along with Croatia in April.