Rescue workers have freed 46 survivors from the rubble after an earthquake in Albania. This was announced by the Ministry of Defense in the morning. The death toll has risen to 27, 650 people were injured.
Prime Minister Edi Rama declared Wednesday the national day of mourning. State institutions were called upon to set the flags at half-mast. In addition, Rama announced at a government meeting the imposition of a state of emergency for the worst affected regions of Tirana and Durres.
The earthquake shook the western part of the small Balkan state early Tuesday morning. In Tirana, the port city of Durres and some rural communities collapsed houses, people ran in panic on the street. Victims are still suspected among the rubble. The quake was felt beyond national borders, such as in northwestern Greece, southern Serbia and parts of southern Italy.
The Institute of Earth Sciences in Tirana and the German Geo Research Center in Potsdam gave the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.3 and the US Earthquake Bureau (USGS) 6.4.
Also on Crete earth quakes
The Greek island of Crete was shaken Wednesday by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. There were no reports of injuries or damage, according to the authorities. However, the shock was felt to the 265 kilometers distant capital Athens. Schools and other public facilities have been closed.
A quake of magnitude 5.4 had hit on Tuesday also Bosnia-Herzegovina. Its epicenter was located 80 kilometers south of Sarajevo. This was about 250 kilometers from the epicenter of the Albanian quake.
In the video: Earthquake shakes Albania
Hector Pustina / AP / DPA
