Sadete and Nazmi were two years old each, Naser three and Slobodanka only four. At the threshold of life, in just 20 seconds, children's smiles and dreams will disappear forever in ruins. It was Sunday morning, April 15, 1979, when a devastating earthquake hit the Montenegrin coast...
These are four of the total of thirty victims of the catastrophic earthquake in Ulcinj, whose names will soon be found on the monument near Kacema, below the Old Town.
The Ulcinj Assembly, in accordance with the Monument Erection Program for 2020, initiated activities on the construction and installation of monuments to all the victims of the 1979 earthquake. In cooperation with the administrative authorities, data was collected on the victims.
"We ask all citizens, if they have more information, to contact the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly at tel. 030 412 456, by e-mail to the address parlament@ul-gov.me or by post to the address Municipal Assembly of Ulcinj, Bul. Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu bb, 85360 Ulcinj", says the appeal to the Supreme Court.
So far, the Assembly, with the help of archival material and checking the registry books of the MUP, has obtained accurate information about the following victims of the earthquake: Jusuf Ahmet Elezaga (1912 - Old Town), Xhemal Idrizaga (1929 - 50, Old Town), Feriha Nimanbegu ( 1935 - Old Town), Agron Goga (1966 - Old Town), June Uruçi (1905 - Old Town), Fatime Shurdha (1892 - Old Town), Rabie Kurti (1948 - Klezna), Adem Kurti (1974 - Klezna), Rexhep Kurti (1974 - Klezna), Sadete Kurti (1977 - Klezna), Naser Kurti (1976 - Klezna), Pal Nrekić (1966 - Klezna), Haxhi Sellaj (1885 - Brajša), Ramazan Kasneci (1967 - Brajša), Nurije Ibroçi ( 1929 - Kaliman), Prena Dugagjin (1916 - Reč), Lulë Llukiq (1921 - Salč), Rabie Ardoliq (1919 - Zoganje), Nazmi Ardoliq (1977 - Zoganje), Slobodanka Radovanović (1975 - Zoganje), Zorka Vučević (1922 - Zoganje), Mark Llukiq (1912 - Kolomza), Angja Nilloviq (1905 - Kolomza), Gjon Pepgjonoviq (1897 - Pistula) and Veliša Sekulić (1904 - Ulcinj).
By reviewing the act "Laws and other documents of the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro adopted in connection with the situation after the earthquake in Montenegro" issued by the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro in 1979, the names of Leka Rudović - Donji Štoj, Huso Slaković - Međuriječ, Milica Kovačević were added. - Titograd, Refije Zagoviq - Kravari, Danica Jovović - Ulcinj and Xhevahire Kraja from Gornji Rastiš.
The president of the SO Ulcinj Ilir Čapuni said that at the end of the table with 30 names it says that there are two more victims who have not been identified.
"One of those victims may be Fatima Shurdha, who was struck and injured by the earthquake in the Old Town, and died ten days later in Pristina. Further checks of new information on the registers are underway, and the proposed decision on erecting a monument has been sent For the approval of the Ministry of Culture", Capuni told "Vijesta".
He stated that the SO has a conceptual design of the monument, on which a plaque with the names of the fallen citizens will be placed.
"With its design, the monument will symbolize the devastating power of the earthquake, the importance of solidarity and the strength of Ulcinj to withstand such adversity," said Capuni.
Newspaper report sent by helicopter
The devastating earthquake arrived seven days after a weaker one announced that the earth had shaken, and the journalists made a "small miracle" out of it, wrote in "Ulcinjski skike", a long-time journalist and publicist from Ulcinj, Aleksandar Janinović. On April 14, Pobjeda published the text "Mobs are recovering houses".
"The very next day, it was not possible to send the report. The earthquake broke the electrical and telephone installations... We established a connection with the editor via helicopter... We sent an unfinished report from here because the helicopter could not wait," Janinović recalled the earthquake in which around 100 people died along the Montenegrin coast, while thousands were injured. Janinović also emphasized the solidarity of all citizens and the republic of the former Yugoslavia.
"It is not the first time that Montenegro has been shrouded in black. Both from people and from the blind forces of nature. Although he will never be able to make up for the human sacrifices, the Montenegrin man did not admit defeat this time either. Especially since Montenegrins and Albanians and Muslims and all those who live on this land know that they are not and will never be alone," Janinović quoted the words of writer Sreten Asanović from the editorial of Pobjeda.
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