Albania opens murder investigation into deaths of 4 Russians

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian prosecutors say they have launched a murder investigation into the deaths of four Russian tourists at a local beach resort last month. The four Russians — a married couple, their daughter and son-in-law — were found dead in a hotel sauna in the village of Qerret, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital Tirana, on Oct. 15. Prosecutors said in a statement Thursday that they had registered the case as “murder in other qualifying circumstances.” The bodies were transported back to Russia a week after their discovery. The Russians, aged 31 to 60, were part of a group that had been staying for a week at the five-star resort.