Death Toll Rises in Albania, Prime Minister’s future daughter-in-law among victims
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The death toll in earthquake-ravaged Albania is set to surpass 50, after more bodies were pulled from the rubble and hope faded for finding additional survivors from Tuesday’s earthquake as aftershocks continued to rattle the area.
Authorities called off search and rescue operations in Thumane, after recovering the bodies of the last people who had been reported missing. It was the worst-hit town, with 23 dead. Seven of the 23 belonged to a single family of nine.
Among the last bodies found, those of a mother with her three children, extracted from the ruins of their three-storey house in Durres by the Italian Fire Brigade.
The future daughter-in-law of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was among dozens of people killed when an earthquake struck the country Tuesday, Rama’s office has confirmed.
Kristi Reçi, the fiancée of the Albanian Prime Minister’s son Gregor Rama, died in the quake with her parents and brother.
Gregor Rama had earlier posted a story on Instagram, in which he wrote that “among the many victims of this tragedy is also the closest person to me, along with her brother, mom and dad,” adding the group “were found under the rubble.”
The earth is continuing to shake in Albania with last, powerful shock of magnitude 4.8 was recorded last night a few kilometers north of Durres. Previously, just before 12, another of 5.1 had been detected. In Durres a panic broke out between residents and rescuers near the Hotel Miramare destroyed by the earthquake last Tuesday.
Pope Francis sent 100 thousand euros to Albania through the service of integral human development, the Vatican dicastery he established.
It is a “first contribution”, reports a bulletin from the Vatican press office, “for aiding the population in this immediate emergency phase”. “The Holy Father – the note explains – wants to express in this way his spiritual closeness and his paternal support towards the people and the territories affected”.
