Tirana, Albania — A strong earthquake rocked Albania early Tuesday, crumbling several buildings and killing at least seven people. At least 150 more were wounded by the temblor, which the U.S. Geological Survey said had a magnitude of 6.4. Centered 19 miles northwest of the capital Tirana, the Reuters news agency said it was the strongest quake to hit Albania in decades.
“The situation is very dramatic,” President Ilir Meta told journalists in Thumane, 22 miles north of Tirana. “All efforts are being done to take the people out of the ruins.”
Prime Minister Edi Rama said neighboring countries, the European Union and the United States all offered immediate support following the powerful quake. He said he’d had phone calls from his Italian, Greek and Turkish counterparts and also the EU and U.S. embassies in Tirana.
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The quake collapsed at least three apartment buildings while people slept, and rescue crews were working to free people believed trapped in the rubble. There was no indication as to how many people might still be buried.
Defense Minister Olta Xhacka put the death toll at seven, saying the latest confirmed victim had died in an accident on a road cut off by debris in northwestern Lezha.
Authorities reported scores of aftershocks and called on people in the most affected areas to stay out of their homes. Many homes that did not collapse still bore visible cracks.
Local media reported that a restaurant was destroyed in western Durres.
At least three apartment buildings and a power distribution station were damaged in Thumane.
An earthquake in September in roughly the same area damaged hundreds of homes.
