Denunciation/ 18 bodies 'folded' into two 4-seat refrigerators at the Tirana Morgue

2025-06-17 21:04:12Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Denunciation/ 18 bodies 'folded' into two 4-seat refrigerators at the
Denunciation/ 18 bodies 'folded' into two 4-seat refrigerators at the Tirana Morgue

Fiks Fare denounced for the umpteenth time the scandal that is taking place in the Tirana Morgue, where the place where the bodies are kept is beyond any standard. Fiks provided photos and footage from inside the Morgue where decomposed bodies are seen that had taken over by worms. The bodies were kept outside the refrigerators, as the latter were not working. This had led to a collapse of the situation, where the bodies left outside the refrigerators had begun to decompose and had taken over by worms.

A citizen who had come from Italy to identify a corpse complained to Fiks Fare, but who had encountered a horror event. The corpse he saw to identify was half-decomposed and full of worms. Photos that he made available to Fiks. Fiks also provided several other photos that confirm the alarming situation in the Tirana Morgue. One corpse was found lying on slabs, while several others were wrapped and left outside the refrigerators on stretchers. The decomposition of the corpses, which it is not known how many days they have been in that condition, had brought a heavy smell to the entire Morgue.

The journalists of Fiksi managed to enter the Morgue, bringing the footage with the camera, and the situation was exactly as the complainants had described. Fiksi learned that there were 29 bodies in the Morgue, while the capacity is for 17 bodies. The Morgue has three refrigerators, two of which have a total capacity of 8 places and one refrigerator with 9 places. Of the three refrigerators, only one worked with a capacity of 4 places, the other with the same capacity and the one with 9 places were broken.

During the entrance to the Morgue, Fiksi encountered the director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Mr. Bledar Xhemali, whom he asked about the situation. He initially denied everything, demanding proof. Fiksi's journalists showed him the photos and asked him why the corpses were covered in worms. When confronted by the journalists, he said that this was the stage of the body when decomposition begins, but not worms. Regarding the journalists' insistence on getting an answer, the IML director evaded by walking away.

Immediately after Fiks Fare entered the Morgue, two days later the institution began cleaning and moving the bodies. 11 of them were moved, 5 bodies to the Fier Morgue and 6 to the Elbasan Morgue. Images that Fiks Fare brought on Tuesday evening. It was also learned from Fiks journalists that one of the broken refrigerators, the one with a capacity of 4 places, was put into operation. So currently in the Morgue there are 18 bodies arranged in two refrigerators with a capacity of 8 places in total.

To find a solution to the ongoing problems at this morgue, in September 2024, the Institute of Forensic Medicine opened a tender with the object of "construction of a refrigerated room for holding corpses." The allocated fund was 99.8 million lek, or about 1 million euros.

A month later, in October 2024, the IML announced the winners of this tender, the firms 2T and Alges Konstruksion, which have 12 months to complete. The two firms were the only ones in the competition and offered 98 million lek. Meanwhile, in the accompanying documents there is also a description of the existing situation, where it is written that the Institute of Forensic Medicine conducts detailed examinations of victims that can be of various types, accidents, illnesses, murders or even unexpected ones.

This examination, the documents state, will be done in the back of the Morgue room, which has a capacity for 3 bodies, 3 beds. Adjacent to the morgue room, there is also a refrigerator room, which does not have the necessary capacity to receive so many bodies. There are many cases, the document continues, where bodies have to stay for months because no one is interested, or they are not identified.

Further, the IML writes that the goal of the project is to increase capacity. An addition will be built to the existing structure, a refrigerated room for holding corpses, with a capacity for 100 corpses, 25 units with 4 refrigerator stations. So until the completion of the new refrigerated room, the IML is not making any other investments, creating this unusual situation./ TCH


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