Nine people have died and 40 others have been injured, five seriously, after a bus fell off a cliff near the village of Ziaj in southern Albania on Monday evening.
Tirana 
“The bus, which was travelling from Tirana to Athens, fell down a ravine 100 metres deep at around eight p.m. on the road connecting the city of Fier with Tepelena,” police said in a statement. According to the police, an initial investigation shows that the crash occurred when the driver, Tomas Tsogas, a Greek citizen, lost control of the vehicle and went off the road.
In a statement on Tuesday, Albanian President Bamir Topi offered his condolences to the victims’ families, adding that every Albanian family joined in their pain.
“The news of this fatal accident, which led to the premature departure of your loved ones, brings sorrow to every Albanian family, and we all pray that they rest in peace,” Topi said.
Meanwhile the government has postponed celebratory activities planned for Tuesday to mark the EU decision to scrap short-term visas with Albania, due to the tragedy.
Monday’s crash follows a similar accident in August in northern Albania, when 14 people were killed and 12 others were injured.
According to a World Bank study nearly 400 fatal car accidents are recorded in Albania every year, or 13,9 deaths in car accidents per 100,000 people, slightly higher than the EU average.
However, fatal accidents have seen a double-digit increase in recent years, which remains a matter of concern for the authorities and the general public.
In the last six years the government has declared a day of national mourning three times over mass fatalities following tragic road accidents.
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