Buildings have collapsed and at least three people have died after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Albania near the capital Tirana.
Residents rushed into the streets to escape shaking buildings, as the shallow quake struck halfway between the capital and the nearby port town of Durres.
Dramatic video posted to social media from Durres showed at least one large building there reduced to rubble, and officials said a man had died after panicking and jumping from a shaking building.
It was the second quake to hit Albania in two months. Officials said the earlier 5.6-magnitude tremor, which struck on 21 September and damaged around 500 homes, was the most powerful in 30 years.
A spokesperson for the Albanian defence ministry confirmed there were people trapped under rubble in Durres. “Firefighters and army staff are helping residents,” the spokesperson said.
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The worst of the damage appeared to be in the port city, 40km from Tirana, on the Adriatic coast. Other footage on social media showed buildings with large cracks and one apartment with a bedroom wall missing.
An unidentified man, with a wound dressing on his right cheek, told News24 TV his daughter and niece were among those trapped in a collapsed apartment building.
“I talked with my daughter and niece on the phone. They said they are well and are waiting for the rescue. Could not talk to my wife. There are other families, but I could not talk to them,” the man said.
Power cuts were reported across a number of neighbourhoods in the capital, while there were also many witnesses describing significant shaking across the region, including in Kosovo.
Located along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, between Greece and Macedonia, Albania experiences regular seismic activity.
Several smaller tremors were recorded in the hour before the main quake, which also was felt in the southern Italian region of Puglia.
(The Independent)
