Greece sending help to Albania after destructive quake

TAGS: Earthquake, Albania

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday ordered assistance to be dispatched to Albania, following a destructive earthquake in the early hours of the day that has claimed at least three lives and injured dozens.

An EMAK disaster response team was traveling to the neighboring country to help in search-and-rescue efforts in the hardest-hit parts of the country, including the port town of Durres, where several buildings have reportedly collapsed, and in the northern commune of Thumane.

Mitsotakis also spoke on the telephone with his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, expressing condolences over the loss of life and destruction caused by the 6.4-magnitude earthquake, which struck shortly before 4 a.m. local time, 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Tirana.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias also announced that he will be heading to Tirana within the day to help in any way he can, adding in a post on Twitter that he has already spoken with Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis to coordinate search-and-rescue efforts with the Albanian authorities.