TIRANA, May 4 (Hina) - At least 120,000 Kosovo deportees are being settled in the Albanian town of Kukes, 218 kilometres north of the capital of Tirana, which used to have only 18,000 citizens before the influx of refugees. Albanian
doctors warned on Monday of the danger of a cholera epidemic if urgent measures were not promptly taken to prevent that disease and if several thousands refugees were not transferred from Kukes to other Albanian towns. Kukes, which is just twenty kilometres away from the border with Yugoslavia and where waves of refugees are continuously arriving, is currently one of the dirtiest towns in the world. In the past three days at least 20,000 Kosovo Albanians came in Kukes via the Morina border crossing. Most of them are from the Kosovo town of Prizren. Many refugees are living in the open, and the warm weather is increasing the danger of epidemic. According to the
TIRANA, May 4 (Hina) - At least 120,000 Kosovo deportees are being
settled in the Albanian town of Kukes, 218 kilometres north of the
capital of Tirana, which used to have only 18,000 citizens before
the influx of refugees.
Albanian doctors warned on Monday of the danger of a cholera
epidemic if urgent measures were not promptly taken to prevent that
disease and if several thousands refugees were not transferred from
Kukes to other Albanian towns.
Kukes, which is just twenty kilometres away from the border with
Yugoslavia and where waves of refugees are continuously arriving,
is currently one of the dirtiest towns in the world.
In the past three days at least 20,000 Kosovo Albanians came in
Kukes via the Morina border crossing. Most of them are from the
Kosovo town of Prizren.
Many refugees are living in the open, and the warm weather is
increasing the danger of epidemic.
According to the latest figures, about 400,000 Kosovo deportees
have arrived in Albania since March 25. Another 200,000 are being
expected.
On Monday, 15 town busses and 25 truck of the Albanian Army carried
some refugees from Kukes to other areas in Albania. About 50 NATO
trucks will be also involved in this operation of transportation.
International relief agencies are making additional efforts to
alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Albania which is the poorest
country in Europe. About a hundred aircraft land at the Tirana
airport daily with shipments of the relief aid. Several another
makeshift camps for refugees are to be built in Albania soon. Such a
camp is being built, for instance, in the town of Korca where 6,000
refugees will find shelter.
(hina) jn ms
.