Austria provides assistance in humanitarian evacuation of severely injured persons from Albania
Tirana, 23 May 2012 – “I am very pleased that the Austrian Embassy in Tirana has been able to secure treatment for two severely injured Albanian students. Together with Raiffeisenbank Albania and the organisation “Allianz für Kinder” based in Steyr, Upper Austria, our Embassy organised treatment in Austria“, the Austrian Ambassador in Albania, Florian Raunig, said at a joint press conference this afternoon with Albania’s Minister of Health, Petrit Vasili, and the director of Raiffeisenbank Albania, Christian Canacaris.
The two students were critically injured last Monday in one of the worst bus accidents in the history of the country. Both are currently in a coma in the capital’s military hospital. Their condition permitting, they are to be flown out to Linz tomorrow morning.
Raiffeisenbank Albania, which is part of Raiffeisen Bank International, promised to bear the costs of this extremely difficult transfer of the patients.
A bus carrying students from the University of Elbasan came off the road and plunged more than 80 metres in the accident near the South-Albanian city of Himara. 12 young students and the driver were killed. A further 26 students were injured, some very severely, and they are being treated in the various hospitals in Albania. The injuries of the two students who are still in coma, however, are of a type that requires treatment abroad. Albania has been in shock since the accident and the government declared a state of national mourning.
Contact:
Austrian Embassy Tirana
Rruga Frederik Shiroka 3
Tirana – Albania
+355692092999
