Search in Albania quake reduced, death toll at 49

Italian rescuers stand in front of a collapsed house of Lala family in Durres, western Albania, on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. Hopes were fading Thursday of finding anyone else alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings in Albania two days after a deadly quake struck the country’s Adriatic coast, with the death toll increasing to over 40 after more bodies were pulled from the ruins. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

TIRANA, Albania — The operation to find survivors and recover bodies from Albania’s deadly earthquake was winding down Friday, with rescue crews limiting their efforts to a collapsed beachfront hotel in the port town of Durres as the death toll climbed to 49.

Albanian, Serb and Montenegrin rescue crews were working through the ruins of the hotel, where one person was believed to still be missing, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Albana Qehajaj said. Neighboring countries and European Union nations rushed in rescue crews and specialized equipment hours after the quake struck.

About 2,000 people were injured in Tuesday’s 6.4-magnitude pre-dawn quake, said Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu, after information was collected from hospitals, small health centers, homes and those now staying in tents.

The most seriously affected areas were Durres, 33 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital, Tirana, and the nearby town of Thumane. The search operation in Thumane ended Wednesday.

The earthquake struck as people slept, and nearly all of those killed were trapped when their apartment buildings or hotels they were staying in collapsed on top of them. Hundreds of aftershocks, with at least three magnitudes greater than 5, have rattled the country and complicated rescue efforts.

Apart from the buildings that collapsed, Prime Minister Edi Rama said preliminary figures showed about 700 buildings in Durres and more than 235 in Tirana were seriously damaged.

“Now comes the hard time for us with non-stop work to bring life back to normal,” said Rama, who said he had appealed for international help in reconstruction efforts. He has vowed to re-house all those left homeless “in better living conditions than before the quake,” within a year.

About 500 people spent a third night in tents in Thumane, while a total of about 2,000 people from Durres and Thumane were moved to temporary accommodation in hotels, schools and sports halls.

Edited by KGA