This Friday, a 35-year-old Albanian man lost his life in the underground chrome mines of the city of Bulqiza.
The Police announced that the miner, Eltjon Alla, died after an accident at work without giving further explanations.
According to media reports, Alla died as a result of falling rocks inside the mine and the accident happened around 6:30 p.m.
The Bulqiza United Miners’ Union (SMBB) also made an announcement yesterday. According to the Union’s statement, Alla was injured while working in the Level 18 gallery in the Albchrome mine in Bulqiza.
SMBB further stated that work accidents in the Bulqiza mines occur almost daily and are getting more dangerous, while the state and companies continue to blame workers, accusing them of negligence, and refuse to undertake any serious investigation or improvement of the work conditions in the mines.
SMBB urges police to take all the necessary steps against those responsible.
On March 4, another miner was injured while working in one of the chrome galleries of the same Albchrome company in Bulqiza.
On February 24, miner Fiqiri Karaj lost his life in a work accident in the mines of Zone D, also in Bulqiza.
Despite several deaths in the Bulqiza chrome mines, no company manager or owner has been prosecuted in the last three years.
Institutional statistics are viewed with suspicion by occupational safety and rights experts, who say accidents with minor consequences are neither reported nor properly investigated.
