In a huge explosion that occurred at an Albanian army ammunition dump on Saturday killed at least five people and injured 243, including many children.

The footage from Albanian television showed a massive ball of fire shooting up from the site in Gerdec village, about six miles north of the capital, Tirana. Shrapnel and shell fragments rained down on homes and vehicles, and houses more than a mile away were damaged by the blast. The initial blast set off a series of explosions, and ammunition continued to detonate into the night.

The blast was heard as far away as the Macedonian capital of Skopje, about 120 miles away, and it prompted a brief suspension of flights at Tirana's nearby international airport, which was slightly damaged.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who described the blasts as an accident, said during a late-night news conference that the death toll stood at five, but that the number was likely to increase. He said 243 people had been registered as injured. By Saturday night, 142 remained hospitalized, and 12 of them were in serious condition. Authorities evacuated 4,000 people from three villages and the surrounding area using armored personnel carriers.

The continuous explosions hampered rescue efforts, though, and authorities were unable to get to the site of the main blast for hours. The explosion also damaged a major electricity transmission point, leaving the area without power, authorities said.

The army depot is used as a location to destroy excess ammunition. Albania has some 100,000 tons of excess ammunition stored in former army depots across the country, according to Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu. In the past year, about 6,000 tons to 7,000 tons of ammunition had been destroyed.

Accidents have occurred at ammunition dumps in Albania in the past, although Saturday's was by far the worst. Three years ago explosions at army weapon depots in southern Albania killed an army officer and injured four others.

Italy was sending a plane carrying medical personnel and equipment in response to an Albanian request. France and the United States also have offered help and support.

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