Albania rocked by strongest earthquake in decades
Rescue workers continue to pull people from rubble after magnitude 6.4 quake
At least 14 people have died and hundreds have been injured after a strong earthquake struck Albania in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The quake is the strongest felt in Albania in decades and caused the collapse of dozens of buildings in the west of the country, including in the seaside city of Durres.
Some residents are thought to still be trapped under the rubble in places, with Albanian President Ilir Meta stating that “all efforts are being done to take people out of the ruins”, reports The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What happened?
The magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck shortly before 4am local time (3am GMT) on Tuesday around 19 miles west of the capital Tirana, at a shallow depth of 12.4 miles according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
According to authorities, three people were killed in Thumane, the 12,000-population town closest to the epicentre, while the bodies of four other victims were pulled from the wreckage of collapsed buildings in Durres.
One man is understood to have died in the town of Kurbin after jumping out of a building, Al Jazeera reports, while another confirmed victim died in an accident on a road cut off by debris in north-western Lezhe, the Guardian adds.
At least five more bodies are understood to have been discovered, although it is not yet known where they died.
Located along the Adriatic coast, Albania experiences regular seismic activity, suffering a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on 21 September, which damaged hundreds of homes.
This week’s earthquake is thought to have been the strongest in the country since 1979, when a magnitude 6.9 quake left 136 dead and more than 1,000 injured, says the BBC.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
What has the response been?
Emergency services have been working to pull people from the collapsed buildings, and at least 150 people wounded during the earthquake are being treated in hospitals in Tirana and Durres, Al Jazeera says.
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday that neighbouring countries - including Kosovo - and the European Union had offered immediate support. The European Commission has also offered assistance.
According to the Guardian, a series of aftershocks were felt throughout the Balkans, Italy and Greece in the wake of the incident, while in nearby Bosnia a separate earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 “struck south-east of the capital and rattled Sarajevo”. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The manosphere: the shady online network of masculinists
The Explainer A new police report said a rise in radicalised young men is contributing to an increase in violence against women and girls
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
How can we fix tourism?
Today's Big Question Local protests over negative impact of ever-rising visitor numbers could change how we travel forever
By The Week UK Published
-
Simone Biles: Rising – an 'elegantly paced and vulnerable' portrait of the gymnast
The Week Recommends Netflix's four-part documentary is more than a 'riveting comeback story'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
How loss of India's vultures might have led to half a million deaths
Under the Radar Near extinction of the invaluable carrion eaters in 1990s left cattle carcasses piled up and disease spreading widely
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
China tightens grip on rare-earth materials
Under the Radar Arms race intensifies for vital green energy resources in the face of skyrocketing demand and trade tensions with the West
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
New data could help prepare for 'the Big One'
The explainer Earthquake data had been on shaky ground until a recent study shook things up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Costa Rica's renewable energy success could be under threat
Under the radar Central American nation generates nearly all its electricity from renewable sources but climate change is bringing huge challenges
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How the EU undermines its climate goals with animal farming subsidies
Under the radar Bloc's agricultural policy incentivises carbon-intensive animal farming over growing crops, despite aims to be carbon-neutral
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How Taiwan minimized earthquake damage
The Explainer The country was rocked but not rolled
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Strong Taiwan earthquake kills 9, injures hundreds
Speed Read At magnitude 7.4, this was Taiwan's biggest earthquake in 25 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published