Six people killed and hundreds more injured in a powerful earthquake in Albania – Update

A earthquake with magnitude 6.4 (ml/mb) was detected on Tuesday near Tirana, Podgorica, Durrës, Elbasan, Vlorë, Shkodër, Fier-Çifçi, Fier, Albania, Montenegro. The temblor was reported at 03:54:10/3:54 am (local time epicenter) at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

At least six people have been killed and hundreds more were injured.

Firefighters and army personnel are leading the rescue efforts with scores of people feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

epa08025913 A woman cries as her relatives are trapped in a building after an earthquake hit Thumane, Albania, 25 November 2019. Albania was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 26 November 2019, leaving three people dead and dozens injured. EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

epa08025882 People search for survivors in the rubble of a building after an earthquake hit Thumane, Albania, 25 November 2019. Albania was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 26 November 2019, leaving three people dead and dozens injured. EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

epa08025911 People search for survivors in the rubble of a building after an earthquake hit Thumane, Albania, 25 November 2019. Albania was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 26 November 2019, leaving three people dead and dozens injured. EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

epa08025914 Rubble of a building after an earthquake hit Thumane, Albania, 25 November 2019. Albania was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 26 November 2019, leaving three people dead and dozens injured. EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

Reuters reports that this the most powerful earthquake to hit Albania in decades rocked the capital of Tirana and nearby port town of Durres early on Tuesday, causing at least two buildings to collapse and trapping residents in the rubble, officials said.

One person died in the town of Kurbin, in central northern Albania, after panicking and jumping out of a building, a Defence Ministry spokeswoman said.