Albania earthquake: 16 dead and 600 injured as rescuers search rubble for survivors
- The worst damage from the 6.4 magnitude quake was in and around the coastal city of Durres, where a hotel collapsed
- Quake was felt across the Balkans, from Sarajevo in Bosnia to the Serbian city of Novi Sad almost 700km away
At least 16 people have died and 600 injured after the most powerful earthquake to hit Albania in decades rocked the capital of Tirana and surrounding region early on Tuesday, causing several buildings to collapse and burying residents in the rubble.
The 6.4 magnitude quake struck soon before 4am local time, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, the second powerful tremor to hit the region in two months. It was centred 30km west of Tirana, at a shallow depth of 10km, the USGS said.
Albanian President Ilir Meta said the situation in the town of Thumane, closest to the epicentre, was “very dramatic”.
“All efforts are being done to take the people out of the ruins,” he said.
The worst damage was in and around the coastal city of Durres. Four bodies, including that of a young girl, were pulled from ruins in the port city, where a hotel collapsed and other buildings were badly damaged.
Three more bodies were found in rubble in the nearby town of Thumane. In the nearby town of Kurbin, a man is his 50s died after jumping from his building in panic, while another perished in a car accident after the earthquake tore open parts of the road, it said.