TIRANA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Albania paid tribute on Thursday to the second member of the Armed Forces, Major Klodian Tanushi, who died from serious injuries sustained in the explosion of a wartime mine on May 6 while participating in a NATO-led mission in Latvia.
The Albanian Council of Ministers declared Thursday a national day of mourning in honor of Major Tanushi. The national flag was lowered to half-staff in all public and state institutions to pay homage to the victim.
Defense Minister Olta Xhacka proclaimed Tanushi "Martyr of the Homeland," fallen in the line of duty.
"With gratitude and respect, I paid tribute to Major Tanushi for his sublime sacrifice and the precious contribution given, for the patriotism, the bravery and the high sense of responsibility that he testified over 20 years in the Armed Forces, as well as during the mission of the Albanian contingent in Latvia," Albanian President Ilir Meta wrote on Facebook after attending the ceremony.
The body of Major Tanushi will be taken to his final resting place at the National Martyrs' Cemetery in Tirana.
Tanushi, 39, father of three children, passed away in a hospital in Latvia four days after the mine explosion, which caused multiple injuries.
Alongside Major Tanushi, the explosion on May 6 also took the life of First Lieutenant Zarife Hasanaj. Her body was repatriated on May 9, and a national day of mourning was declared in her honor on May 10.
Some 20 members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) contingent of the Albanian Armed Forces are in Latvia to dismantle land mines left over from World War Two as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission.
