The Accident in Trepca

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In October, 2013, Justice in Kosovo discussed about the accident in Trepca.

A year prior to the broadcast of the program, the death of Habib Osmani was reported in one of the mines of Trepca, in Stanterg. One year after, there are two versions how this miner died and the causes of his death.

According to the internal report of the Trepca Mines Administration, the miner died from natural causes and his death was not related to any irregularities in the mines. Another report was released by the Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals which says that the main causes of his death is directly implicates another person Justice in Kosovo decided to interview the members of the family, the eye witnesses and other persons who know anything about this case.

Imer Osmani, the father of the miner who died while working, said, “Habib started working in the mines one year before the accident. I found out about the accident at midnight. He worked as a loader of minerals and ores.”

For his first and the second shift he had the order not to work that day because it was dangerous, but for his third shift he was ordered to work. Habib was on his third shift when he died, added Mr.Osmani.

The eyewitness of this case is one of the co-workers who were working on the same shift with Habib Osmani. Blerim Murseli, the eyewitness said, “We were working on the chimney 144. The water ruptured from the chimney 144. The water pushed me to the chimney 141, which is approximately 100 meters far from the chimney 144. I told my other co-workers to go and look for Habib because he might be dead. Musa Bucinca, our supervisor, gave us the order to work that day”

The report of Trepca Mines says that Habib Osmani died because the water ruptured from a hole and there was nothing they could do about it, whereas the report of the Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals says that Musa Bucinca is the one who should be blamed because he did not take into consideration the order that the previous supervisor gave.

 The supervisor of the first shift had given the order to not work that day because one of the chimneys contained water.  The supervisor of the third shift did not evaluate how dangerous it could be for normal work proceedings to take places that day at the mine.

Xhafer Peci, production director, said that an unknown amount of water was accumulated in a natural hole and it had suddenly ruptured in the chimney 144.

In addition, Nuredin Ibishi, the head inspector of Independent Inspectorate of Mines and Minerals, said that the supervisor made a concession and did not evaluate well the dangers of the workplace on that particular day.

The director of Trepca Mines, Halil Qelaj, said that they did not receive any report from the Independent Inspectorate of Mines and Minerals. “I know that they were engaged in this issue, but I did not receive any report, but if the commission says that the supervisor is responsible, then measures should be taken”, added Qelaj. The Police of Kosovo also said that they did not receive the report of the Independent Inspectorate of Mines and Minerals.

The supervisor Bucinca had denied all the claims of the Independent Inspectorate of Mines and Minerals.

15,000 Euros were given to the family as a compensation for the death of their family member.