Albania: 8 migrants die in road accident

The vehicle was traveling on a high road above the Vjosa river when the driver is thought to have lost control, reported the German press agency dpa. All eight people in the car died.

The incident took place not far from the town of Permet, reported several news agencies.

The seven passengers were described by police as “nationals from third countries” and are believed to be migrants, reported dpa.

The car “swerved off a mountain road and into a ravine,” reported the news agency Reuters, quoting Albanian police. Authorities say the vehicle may have been a Mercedes Benz.

The road following the fast-flowing river is frequently used by migrants hoping to cross Albania along the so-called Balkan route towards Western Europe. The site of the accident is about 240 kilometers south-east of the capital Tirana, reported the news agency Associated Press (AP), and not far away from the Greek border, reported the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).

Those traveling in the car are thought to have crossed over from Greece, said police.

‘We believe the other passengers are illegal migrants’

According to a police spokesperson, Ardian Cipa, who spoke to Reuters, the driver is from North Albania and police are working to identify him. “We believe the others [passengers] are illegal migrants.”

A witness to the accident, who spoke to Reuters but wasn’t named, said the vehicle must have caught fire on or soon after impact, as the vehicle appeared charred and crumpled. At least four bodies were “strewn over the rocks” on the river’s banks. Police had taped off the area, reported Reuters.

Cipa said that in the early hours of Tuesday morning, a police patrol had seen a car driving at high speed along the road, but were unable to stop it. Later, they found the same vehicle crashed on the banks of the river.

Traveling the Balkan route

Migrants, often from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Asia and Africa, travel the Balkan route towards Western Europe, sometimes traversing Albania on the way. Albania is a NATO member and has bilateral migration deals with several countries in Europe, including Italy and the United Kingdom.

Albania has also signed a special deal with Italy that will involve building special migrant processing centers in the north of the country. The deal will allow for asylum seekers hoping to reach Italy to be processed in Albania instead. If found not to qualify for asylum, under Italian law, they would then be returned from Albania to their countries of origin.

Albania has had Frontex officers stationed in the country since 2019. The officers were installed to help Albania manage migrants crossing the borders from the south and the east, as well as to fight cross-border crime in general.

Between January and October 2023, nearly 100,000 migrants are thought to have traveled through Albania towards Western Europe, according to data from the European border agency Frontex.

With dpa, AP, AFP, and Reuters