#46: NewsFlash: Bus Crash in Albania
18 July 2002
In Kalabaka, central Greece now. Started off the day in Gjokastar, southern Albania. Got on the early morning bus for Greece.
About 10 km away from the border, my bus crashed onto a car that had dashed across from a side lane onto the highway. The bus swayed across the highway and crashed into a trench. Fortunately it remained upright, and we struggled to get out of the bus, only to discover that the car was completely flattened, under the bus. The three persons on it almost certainly dead, with the driver’s head and outstretched arm hanging out of the car. A few ladies on the bus went hysterical, screaming away.
We stayed around the site for a while, recovered our luggage and then took a bus across the border. Albanian TV got to the site quite fast. In the unlikely event you might be watching Albanian TV tonight, you might see me and other passengers looking dazzled and confused by the highway and the smoking bus and crushed car underneath.
Pray for the lost souls.
Will be heading for Athens before returning to London on Sunday.