Albania was struck Nov. 26 by its strongest earthquake in decades. It killed at least seven people and injured 300.
ROME — Albania was struck early Tuesday by its strongest earthquake in decades, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 600, according to the Associated Press, while setting off a race to find victims buried under the rubble.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the middle of the night and brought several buildings tumbling down. Slightly farther from the epicenter, in the capital of Tirana, the quake opened cracks in apartments and caused alarmed people to flee into the streets after the shaking.
The AP, citing Albania’s Defense Ministry, said seven bodies were pulled from the rubble in Durrës, a coastal port city, and that five others died in a collapsed apartment in the hard-hit town of Thumanë. In another town, one person died after jumping from his home in an attempt to escape.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake caused tremors throughout the Balkans into southern Italy. Its epicenter was along Albania’s western coast, just north of Durrës. The earthquake struck just before 4 a.m. local time and originated from a fairly shallow depth, just 12 miles underground. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones, because their waves lose less energy before reaching the surface.
Albania’s president, Ilir Meta, said on Twitter that the situation was “dramatic” in that town and that everything must be done to save people “stuck under the ruins.”
A government spokesman said that more than 300 people have received medical help at hospitals in Tirana and Durrës.
Videos on social media showed collapsed and damaged buildings, cars demolished by rubble and cracks in sidewalks. Rescue teams waded through rubble, carrying stretchers, as volunteers mounted their own efforts.
Hektor Pustina
AP
People stand near a damaged building after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Durres, western Albania, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.
Three aftershocks, with magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.4, followed in the aftermath of the initial quake. Another earthquake, with a recorded magnitude of 5.4, was reported to the north in Bosnia.
“Our country was hit by a wave of earthquakes like never before in the darkness of the early hours of today!” Meta said in a statement. “It is important to work with dedication and professionalism to save every human life under the rubble of buildings and to help the injured. It is important to identify residents who cannot return to their homes and who need housing.”
Italy, Greece and Turkey were among the countries offering to assist in the rescue work.
Albania is one of Europe’s poorest countries and has been in long discussions to join the European Union.
It was the second time in two months that Albania has been hit by a significant earthquake. In September, a 5.6-magnitude tremor hit roughly the same area and caused dozens of injuries. It was said to be Albania’s most powerful earthquake in 30 years.
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2019-11-26 12:52:00Z
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