Elbasan apartment explosion kills two as residents evacuated

2 people have died after an explosion and fire tore through an apartment building in Elbasan, central Albania, on Thursday, 5 November, local authorities said. Rescuers recovered the body of a 69-year-old man from the rubble after earlier reporting the death of an elderly woman.

The blast damaged a five-storey residential block in the Çlirimi neighbourhood. The explosion brought down portions of upper-floor structures, sparked a fire and filled parts of the building with smoke. Early reports said ten residents were affected by smoke, although their subsequent condition was not detailed.

Elbasan mayor Gledian Llatja said all families had been evacuated as emergency services searched the damaged property. Rescuers initially believed another person might be trapped. Later reports from ABC News Albania, Telegrafi and other regional outlets confirmed that a second body had been recovered after several hours of searching.

Police said an excessive accumulation of gas in an apartment was believed to be the cause of the explosion. That is the preliminary conclusion from investigators; the supplied material did not explain the source of the gas or whether the installation had a known defect.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze and helped search the ruins while specialists assessed whether the damaged structure could be entered safely. The municipal emergency service worked with Albania's civil protection authorities during the response.

Building inspectors reported serious structural damage to the property. Albanian media said demolition might be required, but the decision and timetable had not been presented as final at the time of reporting.

Officials said evacuated families would require accommodation while authorities determined the building's condition. The material did not establish a verified number of permanently displaced people or the cost of repairs and demolition.

The initial missing-person notice referred to the man subsequently found dead. The two victims should not be counted again as additional missing persons, and the casualty tally remains subject to any final official reconciliation.