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Reports say death toll in Albanian quake has surged to 48

About 790 people were injured, according to the Albanian newspaper Koha Jone

© AP Photo/Hektor Pustina

MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. The number of victims from Tuesday’s earthquake that hit Albania has risen to 48, the Albanian newspaper Koha Jone reported on Friday, citing the country’s defense ministry.

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About 790 people were injured, the newspaper reported. Earlier, 40 deaths were reported. Forty-five people were rescued from the surrounding rubble. First responders are continuing their search and rescue operations.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter was located 10 km northwest of the city of Shijak near Tirana. The earthquake’s depth was 10 km. The quake’s jolt could be felt in the capital city of Tirana, and even as far as North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Greece. Tremors were felt in some southern Italian provinces as well.

This earthquake turned out to be the second powerful one in Albania this season. In early September, about 300 cases of seismic activity had been recorded in a 24-hour period, the strongest of them having been a 5.8 magnitude earthquake.

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