Four dead in Earthquake of 6.4-magnitude in Durres, Albania

Eastern Europe hit by an earthquake of magnitude 6.4, casualties reported

Eastern Europe was rattled by an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 with the epicentre close to Tirana, Albania. The quake caused several buildings to collapse and the United States Geological Survey said that the chances for causalities are very high. At least four people were found dead after the tremors shook the capital early Tuesday morning.

Second earthquake to hit Albania in the span of two months

Representational Image of an earthquake
Representational Image of an earthquake Reuters

The earthquake hit Durres, which is on the West Coast of Albania, 20 miles away from the capital. The tremors were felt for hundreds of miles and multiple buildings have collapsed. Witnesses told the Daily Mail that the residents rushed out of the building, some holding the children.

This is the second earthquake to hit Albania in the span of two months. The previous quake left several injured and nearly 500 buildings were damaged. If the present magnitude of the tremor is confirmed then the damages incurred would be 16 times larger, say experts to various news agencies.

Residents took to various social media networks to talk about the aftermath of the earthquake. An active discussion about the earthquake and the damages incurred by the cities is underway on various social media platforms.

The USGS believes that around 8000 people would have felt the earthquake severely while 12 million in several countries including Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro would have felt the tremors. It is reported that an aftershock of around 5.4 magnitudes would have been felt after the main tremors. The Albanian IGJEUM institute's website was down. The Defense Ministry said that it is one of the strongest to hit Albania in 30 years.

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