. Earth Science News .
SHAKE AND BLOW
Albania races against time to find earthquake survivors
By Briseida MEMA
Thuman�, Albania (AFP) Nov 27, 2019

Emergency workers on Wednesday pulled dust-covered corpses from the ruins of an earthquake that has claimed 30 lives in Albania, as aftershocks hampered the second day of search efforts for survivors.

The 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled the Balkan state early Tuesday morning was the most powerful and damaging in decades.

In the hard-hit coastal city of Durres and the town of Thumane, apartments and hotels collapsed into mountains of rubble, trapping residents beneath.

With the help of dogs and 200 experts flown in from across Europe, rescuers raced against time to clear away the wreckage after 45 people were pulled out alive the previous day.

But a series of strong aftershocks put temporary pauses on search efforts and sent fresh bolts of panic in the streets.

Devastated relatives wept in the morning as search teams in Thumane unearthed the bodies of a married couple, Pellumb and Celike Greku, from a building torn down by the force of the earthquake.

"Terrible, terrible," an elderly woman dressed in black shouted, pulling at her hair as the bodies in pyjamas were wrapped in blankets and carried away.

Their son Saimir, who was visiting from abroad, was rescued alive from the rubble Tuesday night but later died in hospital, according to relatives and neighbours.

"They went to heaven together, they were very honest and poor people," said Valbona Cupi, 60, another local, in tears.

- New houses by 2020 -

By Wednesday evening the official death toll was 30 dead, the defence ministry said, with some 650 people treated for mostly minor injuries.

In Durres, a beach destination on the Adriatic coast, 27 buildings had crumbled and at least a dozen people were killed.

As darkness fell, thousands of residents prepared to spend a second night sleeping in tents or on the grass of the city's football stadium.

Many were afraid to return home due to the tremors that followed Tuesday's quake, including a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that shook buildings in Durres on Wednesday afternoon.

During a visit to the city, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the government would arrange for homeless families to be moved into hotels.

"We cannot spend the winter under open skies or in tents," he said, pledging to put each family in a new home by 2020.

In the district of Keneta, emergency workers and relatives kept searching for a family of six -- two parents and four children -- whose home was flattened by the earthquake.

"Hope is the last thing that dies," said Asije, 40, a close relative of the Lala family who had moved to the port city from Albania's poor north in search of a better life.

Another relative, Hasan Lala, was working with rescuers who used pickaxes, shovels and their hands to clear debris and move slabs of concrete.

"The rescue operation is very difficult because you can't use heavy machinery, you have to work with your hands," he said.

- Day of mourning -

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, but rescue specialists and emergency aid have poured in from around the continent.

The government declared Wednesday a national day of mourning and cancelled festivities planned for Independence Day celebrations on November 28 and 29.

Durres and Thumane were also put under a 30-day state of emergency.

In an act of solidarity, neighbouring Kosovo, whose population is mostly ethnic Albanian, also went into official mourning.

Two Kosovar brothers, Shemsedin and Isa Abazi, were among those killed in Durres when their hotel collapsed, according to Pristina.

Earthquakes are relatively common in the Balkans due to the movements two large tectonic plates -- the African and Eurasian -- and the smaller Adriatic micro-plate.


Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


SHAKE AND BLOW
More than 20 dead as Albania hunts for earthquake survivors
Durres, Albania (AFP) Nov 26, 2019
Albanian rescuers searched rubble through the night looking for survivors trapped in buildings that toppled Tuesday in the strongest earthquake to hit the country in decades, with more than 20 dead and hundreds injured. Teams of soldiers, police and emergency workers sifted through the debris of shredded apartment blocks and hotels in towns near Albania's northwest Adriatic coast, close to the epicentre of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled the country before dawn. By evening the toll wa ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SHAKE AND BLOW
Nuclear reactors with a newly proposed barrier could've withstood Chernobyl and Fukushima

NASA space data can cut disaster response times, costs

Pope to comfort victims of Japan's 2011 'triple disaster'

European court condemns Russia over asylum seekers' plight

SHAKE AND BLOW
Scientists turn fossil fuel pollutant into usable industrial chemical

Small, fast, and highly energy-efficient memory device inspired by lithium-ion batteries

University launches new materials to the International Space Station

Turning up the heat to create new nanostructured metals

SHAKE AND BLOW
Harvesting fog can provide fresh water in desert regions

El Nino seeing extreme swings in the industrial age

New Earth mission will track rising oceans into 2030

Underwater robotic gliders provide key tool to measure ocean sound levels

SHAKE AND BLOW
Arctic adventurers struggle as climate change thins ice

Two million-year-old ice cores provide first direct observations of an ancient climate

Last Arctic ice refuge is disappearing

Sea ice movements trace dynamics transforming the new Arctic

SHAKE AND BLOW
Drought impact study shows new issues for plants and carbon dioxide

Coated seeds may enable agriculture on marginal lands

Forest farms could create market for ginseng, other herbs

Monsanto pleads guilty to using banned pesticide on research crop

SHAKE AND BLOW
Living at the edge of an active volcano: Risk from lava flows on Mount Etna

More than 20 dead as Albania hunts for earthquake survivors

More than 40 dead after heavy rain pounds DR Congo capital

Deadly rainstorms sweep northern Italy, southern France

SHAKE AND BLOW
France reels from new blow in tough Africa mission

Zimbabwe turns to charcoal for cooking as power outages bite

French and Sahel soldiers step up campaign against jihadists

Four missing including expat found safe in Burkina Faso: govt

SHAKE AND BLOW
A monkey's balancing act

Skull study suggests pre-humans weren't as bright as modern apes

Brain enlightens the origin of human hand's skill

Extinct giant ape directly linked to the living orangutan









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.