14 killed in bus accident in Albania

July 18, 2010 08:41 am | Updated 08:43 am IST - Tirana

Fourteen people died and 12 others were injured, many of them seriously, on Saturday when a bus fell off a cliff 140 km north of the capital, Tirana, Albanian authorities said.

Police official Hysni Burgaj said a sudden downpour caused the accident.

Authorities still did not know the total number of bus passengers late today.

The bus fell 30 to 40 meters off a cliff in Dom Gjegjan village, in the district of Puka, police said. The injured were brought to hospitals in the Albanian capital, Tirana, and the northern city of Shkodra.

President Bamir Topi and Prime Minister Sali Berisha visited the injured at the Tirana hospital and promised urgent assistance.

The government has declared tomorrow a day of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast.

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