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Updated November 27th, 2019 at 07:23 IST

Albania: Toll rises to 21 after powerful quake, more than 350 injured

Albanian government's director of communications Endri Fuga said that the the death toll from a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Albania rose to 21

Reported by: Ria Kapoor
Albania
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According to the Albanian government's director of communications Endri Fuga, the death toll from a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Albania on Tuesday, rose to 21. While speaking about the incident, he also added that around 350 people were injured in the incident. While speaking to a media portal, Fuga said that around 45 people were rescued from the rubble through the day, and 30 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Panic-stricken public

The epicentre of the quake which occurred at around 3:54 am (local time), was located at a depth of 30 kilometres, about 9.5 kilometres northwest of Shijak town, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It was also reported that out of the 21 casualties, four died in Durres, two in Thumane, one person died after jumping from a building in panic in Kurbin, while one victim died while driving on a badly damaged road in Lezhe. 

READ | Strong quake hits Albania; at least 2 dead, 150 injured

The earthquake, that was followed by 250 aftershocks was considered to be one of the strongest of several quakes to hit the country's western region and it left a number of people trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings. After the horrifying incident, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama visited rescue sites to check up on the struggling victims. Afterwards, the government also declared November 27 as a day of national mourning and ordered schools to remain shut.

READ | 5.9 magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand

In the aftermath of the quake, many Albanians who were rendered homeless had to sleep in the 300 tents laid out in sports fields and stadiums. Additionally, gyms were also adapted to accommodate people. The Ministry of Defence, while expressing solidarity with the victims, said that the whole country is standing by the search and rescue teams, including at least 2,000 armed forces personnel and 1,900 state police officers.

READ |This high-tech device can detect earthquake, tsunami in advance, improve detection

According to the ministry, in order to combat the situation, emergency experts from Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Romania have also been called in to help with the effort. In Durres, which is a coastal town about 25 miles from the country’s capital of Tirana-three hotels, a residential villa and an apartment building reportedly all came down and the rescue operations are underway.

READ | Earthquake of 4.3 magnitude hit Assam, Meghalaya, and adjoining areas

(with inputs from ANI)

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Published November 27th, 2019 at 04:56 IST

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