The European Union and the United Nations are coordinating the international efforts to assist Albania after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed 51 people and left thousands homeless.
Luigi Soreca, EU ambassador to Albania, on Monday said Brussels mobilized the Civil Protection Mechanism on the day of earthquake, Nov. 26 with many search-and-rescue teams arriving in the country.
The quake that hit Albania’s Adriatic coast also injured more than 3,000 people. The worst-hit areas were the port town of Durres, a popular beach vacation spot for Albanians 33 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Tirana, and the nearby northern town of Thumane.
In this Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019 photo, a plastic flower among rubbles of a collapsed building damage building in Thumane, western Albania following a deadly earthquake.(AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
Albania’s government has called on the international community for financial aid and expert assistance, saying it is incapable of doing it alone.
In this Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019 photo a frame which has turned up side down on a wall of a damaged building in Durres, western Albania following a deadly earthquake.(AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)