The serious consequences of the powerful explosion of a gas cylinder in an apartment in the city of Elbasan continue to be the focus of attention of the authorities. A day after the tragedy that took the lives of two residents and caused considerable material damage, experts from the Construction Institute have arrived at the scene to conduct a technical assessment of the building. The specialists will inspect the structure of the building to determine the extent of the damage and its level of stability, after the explosion that severely shook the building in the “Qemal Stafa” neighborhood, in the area known as “Beqir Dardha”.

The most severe damage from the explosion was recorded on the upper floors of the building, where part of the fourth-floor structure collapsed, falling onto the third floor. The force of the explosion also caused extensive damage to the partition walls, surrounding apartments and other elements of the building. The expertise of the Construction Institute is expected to determine whether the building has suffered damage that compromises structural safety, which parts of it are most at risk and whether emergency interventions are needed to stabilize the building. The results of this assessment will also be important for determining the conditions under which residents can return to their apartments. Until the technical verifications are completed, the safety of the building remains the main issue for the authorities.

The serious incident took the lives of two residents of the building, Hamit Ibro, 69 years old, and Hatixhe Berisha, 82 years old. Meanwhile, several other residents were left asphyxiated as a result of the smoke and gases caused by the explosion and fire. For hours, a difficult search and rescue operation was carried out at the scene, involving firefighters, the Police, civil emergency structures and the Armed Forces. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have launched investigations to fully document the circumstances of the tragedy, while technical expertise is expected to shed light on the consequences that the explosion has caused to the construction of the building. The Elbasan tragedy has left behind two lives lost, a building with serious damage and dozens of residents facing uncertainty about their homes.