Memorie.al / A total of 22 people lost their lives in an accident in 1949, but the passing decades and the dust of oblivion covered this tragedy, as even greater ones would occur in later Albania. However, this event must be remembered, as it is the best tribute to all those who lost their lives. The event reached the proportions of a tragedy when it was reported that people were burned alive under the wooden body of a Soviet vehicle. The flames did not spare the 20 students from Kukës and two military officers. The truck had departed from Kukës with the students, while the two officers, who boarded the vehicle traveling toward Tirana by chance in Shkodra, became part of the sorrow.
The toll would prove tragic, as 22 carbonized bodies were found at the scene. However, fate was on the side of eight out of the 31 people traveling toward Milot. The survivors were students, four of whom are still alive. Shaban Braha is the former person in charge of the vehicle, while one of the elites, a teacher from Kukës, Ali Domi, left Kukës four years ago and lives in Tirana. He is regarded as a symbol of hard work and conscientiousness throughout the Kukës region. Despite the decades, for Shaban Braha, the midnight of July 7, 1949, is still fresh.
“I have the horror of that night fixed in my mind. I feel as if I can hear the screams of my friends, burning alive under the truck. I remember their hands stretching out, begging for help, while the flames engulfed their young bodies. It was terrifying.” For Shaban, the teacher from Kukës, the 1949 event is the most climactic of his life. A “Zis” type truck, transporting 15–20-year-olds to Tirana, overturned near Milot, trapping 22 people. All were burned alive. Braha keeps the memory of the event, for which he has many documents that he will soon publish in his memoir.
He says that everyone at that time was conscious that the war-torn fatherland had to be rebuilt, and this required sacrifices, even human lives. In response to the call of the country, 28 young men – all students of the newly opened unique school in Kukës – went voluntarily to build the Textile Combine, which at that time bore the name of the Soviet leader, “J.V. Stalin.”
The adventure was cut short at 01:30 AM on July 7, 1949. The old “Zis” vehicle overturned near Milot, trapping the 28 young men. The accident was fatal. Exactly 20 students were burned alive moments after the truck caught fire because the fuel tank ruptured. Along with them, two of the three officers who boarded in Shkodra perished. Eight students, the driver, and one officer survived. The accident happened because the driver fell asleep for a moment.
The driver and others in the cabin survived, but documents from that time say the driver fled out of fear and was caught days later attempting to escape to Yugoslavia. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. The victims were buried in Kukës and were all declared martyrs (dëshmorë).
The Interview
The Milot event, which passed without much fanfare at the time, is revealed after 55 years: “How were the Kukës students incinerated?”
Shaban Braha, now 76, is one of the survivors. After finishing school, he worked in education for 32 years. He was a participant in the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War. In an exclusive interview, he clarified the moments of the tragedy.
How was the organization for the “action” done, since they were so young? Shaban Braha: Albania newly emerged from the war, required the effort and sweat of everyone. The youth of Kukës had completed the 84 km Kukës-Peshkopi road in record time, but the country needed more. We were students of the unique school opened in Old Kukës in 1946. Most of us were from the highlands of Kukës, but there were also some from Tropoja, Korça, Elbasan, and Vlora. We came from poor families. After finishing the seventh grade, we formed the brigade with 28 volunteers, named after the martyr “Meriman Braha.” We left on the afternoon of July 6, 1949. In Shkodra, three officers joined us as passengers. Just 1.5 kilometers past Milot, the catastrophe occurred.
What do you remember from that tragic moment? Shaban Braha: It was 01:00 AM. I was in the front seat of the cabin with the math teacher, Petrit Çami. I was asleep, and I believe the driver was too, when we went off the road down a 3-meter embankment. The truck overturned. The cabin was made of plywood and sheet metal; although I was injured in the leg, I ended up on top of some thorns. The teacher and driver survived, but gasoline poured from the tank, the engine was still running, and the truck caught fire. Most of our friends were under the body of the truck; we had no way to flip it back. We heard their voices crying for help, but there was nothing we could do. It was night, and we were injured youth. They burned alive for a rebuilt Albania.
Did no one else escape? Shaban Braha: Yes, one of the officers and Halit Cahani from Kukës. Also, the teacher Petrit Çami; he was thinner and managed to squeeze through a crack. After half an hour, local residents came to help. We pulled Shaban Boshnjaku from Tropoja out alive. He was walking and talking, but he died in the Tirana hospital because his entire skin was burned. Avni Gjana from Kukës also had burned legs and could not survive.
Was it difficult to identify the bodies? Shaban Braha: Difficult, but not impossible. They had remains of clothes, shoes, and unburned body parts. All were identified, and the coffins were sent to Kukës in an honorary ceremony attended by leaders from Tirana. They were declared martyrs, though they were not buried in the Martyrs’ Cemetery, which was not normal. Many schools in Kukës took their names. In Milot, a memorial was erected, but the names have faded. It is an honor for this state to rebuild that memorial./Memorie.al
List of the Victims
- Ahmet Gjoni, Tropojë
- Avni Gjana, Kukës
- Benon Voshtina, Vlorë
- Dalip Sapahiu, Kukës
- Et´hem Musallari, Kukës
- Fatos Narazani, Elbasan
- Gani Dizdari, Kukës
- Hasan Shehu, Kukës
- Haxhi Qejvani, Kukës
- Halim Sofia, Kukës
- Hazir Onuzi, Kukës
- Haziz Braha, Kukës
- Hasan Hallaçi, Kukës
- Qazim Haxhia, Kukës
- Rasim Kryeziu, Pukë
- Selim Kurpali, Has
- Sherif Kollovozi, Kukës
- Shaban Boshnjaku, Tropojë
- Xhemali Shllaku, Kukës
- Zenun Batusha, Tropojë
Two officers whose names are not remembered.
Survivors of the Accident
- Ali Domi, Kukës
- Dan Doci, Tropojë
- Halit Cahani, Kukës
- Muhedin Prizreni, Kukës
- Xhemali Kërxhaliu, Kukës
- Zenel Muja, Kukës
