Albanian rescuers find 20th body at site of weekend ammunition dump blast

Albanian soldiers sifting through the wreckage of an ammunition depot that exploded last weekend found a 20th body Friday, the military said.

Officials said about 1,000 soldiers and other rescue workers were searching for more victims.

The blast March 15 near the capital, Tirana, injured more than 300 people, destroyed 412 homes, damaged 3,800 and scattered artillery shells over some 15 square miles (40 square kilometers).

Prime Minister Sali Berisha's spokeswoman, Juela Mecani, said it was still unclear how many people were missing from the explosions at Gerdec village. She said DNA tests would be needed to identify some victims.

Earlier, Albanian officials had put the number of missing at three.

The government says the blast was accidentally triggered during work to dispose of surplus Communist-era ammunition. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of negligence. Some 1,400 tons of artillery shells were stored at Gerdec.

Some 15 families have been sheltered in tents in areas cleared of unexploded ammunition near their destroyed houses.

Opposition parties have called for Berisha's resignation over the explosions, and planned a protest march in Tirana for later Friday.

Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu resigned after the blasts, and he was questioned as a witness Thursday by investigators.

About 100,000 tons of excess ammunition, comprised largely of Russian and Chinese artillery shells made in the 1960s or earlier, are stored in former army depots across Albania.

NATO members, including the U.S., Canada and Norway, have been helping the small Balkan country with the weapons disposal.