Deadly earthquake hits Albania: Live updates

Deadly earthquake hits Albania

By Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 2:42 p.m. ET, November 26, 2019
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2:41 p.m. ET, November 26, 2019

What we know so far about the deadly Albania earthquake

Emergency workers look for survivors in the coastal city of Durres after an earthquake hit Albania on Nov. 26.
Emergency workers look for survivors in the coastal city of Durres after an earthquake hit Albania on Nov. 26. GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP/Getty Images

At least 21 people have been killed, several more are missing and hundreds have been injured after an earthquake struck Albania today.

Here's what we know so far:

  • Strongest in decades: The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.4. It is the strongest to hit Albania in 40 years.
  • The victims: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's office revised the death toll upwards several times. At least four victims died in Durres, spokesperson Endri Fuga told CNN. Another two died in Thumane, one person died after jumping from a building in panic in Kurbin, and one victim died while driving on a badly damaged road in Lezhe, the spokesperson added.
  • A second quake: Nearby Bosnia and Herzegovina was also struck by an earthquake this morning, the country's interior ministry told CNN. That quake measured at 5.4.
2:07 p.m. ET, November 26, 2019

Death toll rises to 21 in Albania quake

From CNN's Duarte Mendonca

Emergency workers look for survivors in the rubble of a damaged building in the coastal city of Durres after an earthquake hit Albania on Nov. 26.
Emergency workers look for survivors in the rubble of a damaged building in the coastal city of Durres after an earthquake hit Albania on Nov. 26. GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP/Getty Images

At least 21 people are confirmed dead in Tuesday’s earthquake in Albania, according to the Albanian prime minister’s spokesperson Endri Fuga. 

About 45 people have been rescued from the rubble. Fuga said search and rescue teams will continue working throughout the night in the affected areas.

Thirty people are currently being treated in hospitals and more than 650 received medical attention.

This is the strongest earthquake to hit Albania in 40 years.

10:53 a.m. ET, November 26, 2019

Earthquake death toll rises to 18

From CNN's Schams Elwazer

The death toll from today's earthquake in Albania has risen to 18, according to the Albanian Prime Minister’s media advisor, Endri Fuga.

9:53 a.m. ET, November 26, 2019

Rubble is piled up after deadly earthquake

At least 14 people were killed and hundreds more were injured after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Albania today.

Crews are searching for people who were reported missing. Here's a look at the destruction:

9:40 a.m. ET, November 26, 2019

What it looks like on the ground in Durres

From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore

Elizana Xhameta took video of the aftermath of the Albania earthquake in Durres.

The video appears to show what remains of the Hotel Palma, which was seven floors tall. 

Watch her video:

8:52 a.m. ET, November 26, 2019

Here's where the earthquake happened

The epicenter of today's earthquake in Albania was near the port city of Durres, about 20 miles from the capital Tirana. Social media videos from the area show several buildings have collapsed.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's office revised the death toll upwards several times today. At least four victims died in Durres, a spokesperson for Rama told CNN. Another two died in Thumane, one person died after jumping from a building in panic in Kurbin, and one victim died while driving on a badly damaged road in Lezhe, the spokesperson added.

8:45 a.m. ET, November 26, 2019

A deadly earthquake hit Albania today

From CNN's Raja Razek, Alba Prifti, Ben Westcott and Rob Picheta

At least 14 people have been killed, several more are missing and hundreds have been injured after an earthquake struck Albania on Tuesday, 

The quake, which had a preliminary rating of 6.4 magnitude, hit the European nation at an approximate depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles) early Tuesday local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.