Following more than one month from the death of four Russian tourists in Qerret area of Albania, the cause of their death is revealed. 

The "Shenjester" show of journalist Klodiana Lala, in News24, shed light on new evidence. According to the forensic evidence "Carbon monoxide was found in the bodies of the victims in the mass 75%..."

Below find full chronology of the event:

It was 23.00 on the evening of Friday, October 15, when the news almost in fictional terms, that of the loss of life of four foreign nationals in mysterious circumstances, shocked the public opinion. 

But what made the subject of the event even more intriguing, was not only the high number of loss of lives but also the citizenship of them, as well as the place where they were found dead. An outdoor pool, on the ground floor of a hotel, just minutes after entering to relax inside. 

It was soon learned that the victims were four Russian citizens, with blood ties to each other, who arrived on vacation in Albania just 5 days before the event took place. 
They were; Sergey Burenkov 60 years old, his wife Natalia 58 years old, their daughter Ekaterina 31 years old and her cohabitant Nikita Belousov (Belusov), 37 years old. 

But what was more shocking is the fact that how it was possible for these vacationers to lose their lives in such circumstances, together, in the same place, at the same time. 

How did the four Russian vacationers come to Albania and what was the last itinerary they followed until the moment they were found dead? How were they found breathless by the receptionist and what did the police find at the scene? 

To help us with what happened that evening of October 15 at the Hotel 'Gloria Palace' located in the coastal area of ??Golem in Kavaja, and how the four bodies of the vacationers were found, 'Ne Shenjester' brings to attention parts of the investigative file, where facts and details are revealed that give us a clearer picture of the event. 

Referring to the file, Sergey Burenkov (Sergej Burenkov) and his family, had arrived on vacation in Albania on October 10, 2021, in the evening, through Rinas airport. They were received there by a Ukrainian citizen, an employee of a travel agency, and were immediately accommodated in the hotel, where they later died. 

The Burenkov couple together with their daughter and son-in-law had chosen Albania as their tourist destination. Although they had received many suggestions for different hotels from the travel agency, they had decided to stay at the ‘Gloria Palace’ Hotel in the Qerret area of ??Golem. 

According to the testimony given by the tour guide, the Russian victims were part of a long tour they would undertake in Albania and neighboring countries. A tour that was tragically interrupted on the evening of Friday, October 15 at the hotel SPA where they had their temporary residence. 

According to the police, the announcement of the serious incident that took place in the hotel SPA came to their operating room at 22.10 in the evening. Preliminary investigation of the scene showed that Russian citizens: were found dead in a hotel on the premises of the SPA at 22.00. 

Referring to the investigation file, the first to ascertain the victims were the hotel staff. From the external examination of the bodies, the investigative group did not find any signs of violence. 

According to the verifications carried out by the police, on the day of the event, on October 15, at 10.07 in the morning, these citizens had left Albania leaving the border point of Qafë Thana for North Macedonia. 

They had re-entered Albanian territory, 7 hours later. Exactly at 17.07 minutes, but already from the border point of Tushemisht. Referring to the dynamics of the movements they had performed, the Russian tourists returned to the hotel, around 20.00. 

Before going up to their rooms, they stopped at the reception where they asked if the pool they had booked the day before, on October 14, was ready by the time they returned from the trip to North Macedonia. According to the testimony given to the police, the last person who communicated and saw them alive was the hotel receptionist, Hane Kërçuku. 

Hane Kërçuku 

'I had almost no contact with these tourists, as they kept their distance. On Thursday evening they came to the reception and one of them spoke English and told me they wanted to use the SPA facilities. 

I told them that you should tell me the day before and they told me that the next day, Friday, they were on a trip and by 20.00 the SPA facilities were ready for them. ' 

Further, returning to the evening of the event, the receptionist brought to the attention of the investigative group, the last moments of communications with Russian tourists.

Hane Kërçuku 

‘The pool was lit around 16.00. But not from me. I, before 20.00, turned on the part of the jacuzzi where there is just a button that needs to be rotated. These people, after returning from a trip after 20.00, went to the reception and informed me that they would use these facilities now. 

They seem to me to be tired, perhaps from the journey, they have made. They went upstairs to the room and went down by themselves maybe after 10 minutes. I saw them bathing in the pool and when I asked them if they needed anything, they told me they wanted privacy. 

At around 9.45 pm, I went to the Russian tourists together with the sanitary worker Sara Deliu to tell them that these facilities would soon be closed. When I went there, I saw that the tourists were lying one on the deck chair, one near the deck chair and two others on the floor near the pool. 

I approached, I called the sanitary worker, I called them in English, but received no response. I was scared and tell the nurse to call the staff. An ambulance arrived with the doctor and we learned that four Russian tourists had died. ' 

The receptionist's details on how the bodies were found were also confirmed by the first expertise built by the investigative team that went to the scene. The investigative group found that the bodies were found on the ‘Zero’ floor of the building, in the northern part where the hot pool area and the SPA are located. 

In an environment with an area of 22.2 by 8.4 m, in the center of which is a swimming pool with dimensions 11.5 by 6.5 m with a volume of 60 m3 of water. 
According to the investigative file, in this environment, there is also a sauna that at the time of the inspection turned out to be in operation. 

Where on the dashboard was read the electronic note 19.14 and the temperature 63 degrees Celsius. While around the perimeter of the pool were placed in a row of white plastic sunbeds. 

From the verification of the investigative group, it turned out that the first body that was found dead was that of the Russian citizen, Sergei Burenkov (Sergey Burenkov). 
He was found in the northeast corner of the pool near the first deck chair in a row, lying erratically. 

A little further on, on the east side of the pool, in the middle of its length, the investigative group found two other bodies next to each other. 
They were Natalia Burenkova and Nikita Belousov (Belusov). Even these, lying down, in a messy state. 

The fourth lifeless body was found on the west side of the pool, on the middle deck chair and belonged to the citizen, Ekaterina Burenkova. Following the first look, the police did not find any signs of violence or visible bodily injuries in any of the victims. 

As material evidence, the investigative team took from this environment two mobile phones of the victims as well as the clothes used by them. It also seized film footage from security cameras. From what was ascertained, it was seen that the victims until the moment of entering the premises of the SPA had been in good physical condition. 

In addition to the testimony of the receptionist, the investigative team also questioned the hotel manager. Giuliana Pole told the investigative group that Russian tourists spent most of their time outside the hotel, traveling after renting a vehicle.

Xhuljana Pole 

‘At around 16.30, on October 15, I was accompanied by the person in charge of the hall and we did a check of the pool facilities, where we checked the ambient temperature which was 28 degrees based on the indicator equipment of the air conditioners, as well as the hygiene and temperature of the pool water which I have touched with my hands and it was moderately warm. 

I mean based on the things I checked at the SPA everything was within the norms. These citizens entered the premises of the SPA around 20.30. The receptionist went to stay and approached for help so that she would not need anything. Clients have responded that they are fine and need nothing and want to stay in their privacy. After about 30 minutes, the receptionist went back to the bathroom to ask if they needed anything, and at that moment they found the tourists unconscious in the pool area. ' 

Asked by the investigative team what Russian tourists had consumed on October 15, the hotel manager said she had no knowledge of what they had consumed at the hotel before frequenting the SPA area. 

She could only say that these tourists left the hotel premises around 06.30 in the morning of October 15, 2021, and returned there around 20.00, where they are also interested in the booking of the premises of the SPA, if they were ready according to the order they had made the day before. 

One of the key testimonies obtained by the investigative team was also that of the maintenance worker. The person who had cleaned and chlorinated the pool just a few hours before the Russian tourists were found dead in these premises. 

Ndricim Halilaga

‘In May 2021 I started working at Gloria Palace in Qerret Golem Kavaja. There I work as a maintenance worker at the Hotel and clean the pool, down at the SPA, every morning. I want to state that on 15.10.2021 I did the pool filter washing. 

No solution is used during the wash, as it is not necessary. Washing is done only to circulate water to clean the filters. I want to state that in the pool I throw only a glass of chlorine. The last time I dumped a glass of chlorine was on Monday 11.10.2021 and Friday on 15.10.2021. '

Also, the pool maintenance employee, Ndriçim Halilaga, was asked by the investigative group if he had done disinfection for covid in the hotel on the day of the event. 
And if so, who did it and with what preparation it was made. 

Ndricim Halilaga

‘Regarding the question I clarify that I do not do disinfection for Covid. I do not know if it was done or not, I have no duty to do so, so I do not know if disinfection was done for Covid at the Hotel. ' 

But the investigative group did not stop at its work only on internal factors that may have led to the loss of lives of four Russian tourists. The Russian tourist guide also told the investigators. 

Maria Buchakchyiska (Maria Buçak-çij-skaja) told investigators the details of the tourist trip as well as the recent trip they made to North Macedonia before being found asphyxiated at the SPA and hotel Gloria Palace. 

Maria Buchakchyiska 

‘In the first hours of the morning, on 15.10.2021, we left by minibus from Durrës. We took tourists along the way to Qerret. Specifically in the minibus were 8 Russian tourists, me and the driver who is called Ilirian. 

In Qerret at 07:00, the 4 deceased persons we explained above boarded the minibus. On the way to Northern Macedonia, we stopped at an auto grill Restaurant called "Nogu" in the area of ??Librazhd. 

The tourists consumed the food they had with them and also ordered various foods and we left for North Macedonia. Around 13:00 something like this, we sat in a restaurant called "Tomato" in the city of Ohrid to have lunch. 

I was sitting at the table with the guide from Macedonia, while the tourists including the 4 people (victims) were sitting at the tables next to us. 
They ordered 3 peskavica and one of them ordered fish. We ate almost the same foods, I myself ate peskavica. A man ordered brandy to drink and the couple also ordered a glass of brandy. ' 

Asked further by the investigative group whether during their stay in North Macedonia or during the trip, the four Russian citizens had felt health concerns, Maria denied having found such a thing.

Maria Buchakchyiska 

‘The people you are asking about, I state that throughout the time I have been with them, they have been satisfied, as well as have not had any health problems. 
The relations between them were very harmonious. They seemed very connected to each other. 

I learned that they had family ties to each other. They were very intelligent, very orderly, cultured people. They were not addicted to alcohol or other substances, and I'm sure of that as long as I stayed with them. ' 

Regarding the event, the investigative group also questioned the statements of four Russian citizens, part of the guide, namely: Olga Rybalko (Olga Ribalko), Elena Mijhaylova (Elena Mihajlova), Iana Emelina (Jana Emelina), Alexander Mijhaylov (Alexander Mihajlov). They also, like the guide Maria Buchakchysika (Maria Buçak-çij-skaja), gave the same explanations. 

The death of four Russian tourists in Albania in a hotel did not remain out of the attention of the international media, which devoted a special space especially to the way they were found dead. 

Meanwhile, their bodies were withdrawn by the Russian embassy in Albania, which warned of another forensic examination to find the cause of death.