People light candles for earthquake victims in Tirana, Albania, on Nov. 27, 2019. Some 40 hours after a strong earthquake hit Albania, 48 people have been rescued, as searches for more survivors are racing against time on Wednesday. The earthquake that hit the Balkan country early Tuesday morning has claimed 30 lives so far, according to the country's Defense Ministry. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)
TIRANA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Some 40 hours after a strong earthquake hit Albania, 48 people have been rescued, as searches for more survivors are racing against time on Wednesday.
The earthquake measuring 6.3 on Richter scale that hit the Balkan country early Tuesday morning has claimed 30 lives so far, according to the country's Defense Ministry.
Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Minister of Defense Olta Xhacka read the names of the confirmed victims of the powerful earthquake.
The minister also said that the number of the injured has climbed to 657, whereas 48 people were rescued up to now.
Xhacka urged all citizens, whose houses have suffered considerable damage, not to go inside before inspections by the specialized teams.
Search and rescue operations are in full-swing as maximum 72 hours after an earthquake are usually considered as the "golden period" for rescuing people trapped under debris.
Xinhua correspondents reached the port city of Durres, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, where successful rescues were reported.
A 27-year-old man told Xinhua that together with other residents living nearby they helped in taking out of the ruins the two owners of a hotel called Tropikal soon after the earthquake.
"The owners of the hotel were sent for medical care and they are in good health conditions, but the rescue teams could not do anything for the two brothers from Kosovo who were found dead on Tuesday under the ruins," he said.
The Albanian rescue teams assisted by a specialized team from Turkey were doing the final checks for any survivors under the debris of the hotel.
One of the Turkish rescue officers was searching on the debris with a sniffer dog.
Only 800 meters away from hotel Tropikal, other rescue teams from Italy, Turkey and Albania were searching for a 52-year-old man, who was believed under the debris of another hotel called "Mira Mare".
The rescue teams were all working on top of the ruins of the hotel, which collapsed in the quake. A young girl in her 20s was found dead in the wake of the collapse on Tuesday. The owner of the hotel managed to escape before the collapse.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the Albanian Rapid Intervention Forces team said that the teams are working for more than 24 hours non-stop to search, adding that the hope of the survival of the 52-year-old man is dim.
At a camp set up by the government in "Niko Dovrani" stadium of Durres, Harallamb Martopullo, doctor of the regional hospital in the city told Xinhua that the camp was hosting over 1,000 people from Durres.
"Our team working in these tents has given medical assistance up to some 240 people sheltered in this camp up to now. The majority of them suffer from anxiety and show signs of accumulated stress due to the earthquake, but none of them has physical injuries. We also help those who suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes or blood pressure. Those showing serious health problems are sent for better treatment at the regional hospital in Durres," Martopullo said.
Sitting on rugs under a big tent, Enrik, a 26-year-old man told Xinhua that he was there because of the fear of more quakes.
"I am here together with my three other members of my family. Our house was slightly damaged by the earthquake, but we are afraid to go home. We live on the fifth floor and we were traumatized by the shakes. I thought we were going to die," Enrik said.
When asked how long they intend to stay here, Enrik's father sitting next to him said, "we plan to stay in the camp for one week."
A young lady holding a baby in her arms told Xinhua that they lost their house from the earthquake and was being sheltered in the tent together with her family and other three families.
On Wednesday, the Albanian government declared the state of emergency in Tirana and Durres, two most affected regions in the country.
The government also declared Wednesday as the national mourning day due to the fact that Nov. 28 and 29 are national holidays.
