The international media is reporting widespread devestation in the vicinity immediatly surrounding Gerdec. Contacted by phone today, David confirms that the worst of the disaster is certainly within the village of Gerdec itself.
"The entire village of Gerdec is a vacuum. There is nothing left."
He added however that the devestation was not limited to that one particular location. The succession of blasts was strong enough to shatter windows eight miles away. Vehicles travelling along the main highway between Durres and Tirana at the time of the blast had their windshields shattered. Shock tremors were felt in Tirane.
"Mandi and I were in the village (of Vlashi) inside one of the homes when we heard the first explosions. It sounded like gunfire. We knew it was something more significant because of the color of the smoke rising from the blast site. It was black, like buring diesel fuel. We thought a plane might have gone down."
David and Mandi moved out into the street for better vantage.
"Then I saw the color of fire burst into the air....a mile into the air. The immediacy of the blast and the following shockwave knocked us to the ground. It was nothing less than apocalyptic."
"We had no idea at the time what was happening....we just knew we had to get back to the city."
He described how Shpresa called out for Genti, who had been filming the explosion from their second floor, to join her outside of the house. After a brief assessment of their home, the Proseku family joined David and Mandi and the rest of the Bright Star team in the van.
"The Autostrata was jambed with traffic and had threatened to close because of its proximity to the blast site, so we had to take the old route back to Tirana."
David says that the scene in Vlashi was grim today. He and Mandi had toured the village with a local commissioner. The Vlashi ministry center and the Proseku home sustained damage to interior walls and ceilings as well as exterior door and window frames. Many other homes in the village were not as fortunate.
"There are people here who will not eat or sleep tonight. Some have lost everything- food shelter, peace, security. The blast yesterday took it all away."
David's greatest concern now is for the village community in general and for the people in particular.
"They've lost the will to eat, sleep, even speak. This singular occurance has yeilded a deep psycological scar. I witnessed it in face after face today."
David also commented on the physical injuries on a broader scale. He said that there are a great deal of wounded. The blast spared no one in its path and the stories of the horror are as grim as they are frightful. Most were wounded from flying shrapnel and broken glass. The hospitals in Tirana and Durres are teeming with injured persons. They have set up blood drives in many public locations and the response to this has been overwhelming.
"It's been really encouarging to see the human response to the tragedy, particularly in Tirana. There has even been a contingent from the Albanian govenment lining up to give blood." David says.
David noted that the Albanian government was stretched to its limit. Officials were doing all they could to dispel the fears of another explosion. It is unclear how many charged explosives
are left.
When asked what might be the greated prayer concerns, he says,
"Many people are hurting here now. Pray that we might have compassion on all who were affected here. There is a human need here now that was not here before. Pray that we might be used in the lives of all of those who live in the village. Pray for peace for this community."
(Shpresa, tour guide, tells the history of the amphitheatre.)
Eating our picnic lunch inside at the center.
