In neighbouring Kurbin a man in his fifties died after jumping from his building in panic. Another perished in a car accident after the earthquake tore open parts of the road, the ministry said
Soldiers and rescue workers carry an injured man found in the debris of a collapsed building in Thumane, Albania, on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
Thumane: Albanian rescuers dug through rubble Tuesday as survivors trapped in toppled buildings cried out for help after the strongest earthquake in decades killed at least 18 people and left hundreds injured.
Tormented families looked on as soldiers, police and emergency workers sifted through debris of shredded apartment blocks in the towns near Albania's northwest Adriatic coast, close to the epicentre of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Eighteen people were found dead by the late afternoon, mostly in the city of Durres, a coastal tourism destination, and the town of Thumane north of the capital Tirana, according to the defence ministry.
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In neighbouring Kurbin a man in his fifties died after jumping from his building in panic. Another perished in a car accident after the earthquake tore open parts of the road, the ministry said.
Some 42 survivors were rescued alive. The health ministry said that more than 600 people received first aid for injuries. The 6.4-magnitude quake was felt across the southern Balkans and was followed by multiple aftershocks, with several above magnitude 5.
Some 300 soldiers and 1,900 police were sent to Durres and Thumane to assist with the rescue efforts, according to authorities. Albania is known for its chaotic urban planning. Tuesday's quake was the strongest to hit the Durres region since 1926, seismologist Rrapo Ormeni told local television. Albanian Authorities described it as the strongest earthquake in the last 20-30 years.
600
Approx no. of hurt victims
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