Overseas Network, November 27 (Xinhua) In the early morning of the 26th local time, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 occurred near Tirana, the capital of Albania. It was the most serious earthquake to occur in the country in 40 years. Currently, at least 23 people have been killed and hundreds injured.

According to reports from CNN and the New York Times, the rescue work is still ongoing. The local government said that as of Tuesday night, rescue workers and residents from various places had rescued 45 people from the rubble, 30 of whom were hospitalized. . Since the earthquake occurred at about 3 o'clock in the morning, most people were asleep in their houses and had no time to respond to escape. According to reports, some people tried to escape by jumping out of windows but were killed, while others fell into cracks in the ground while driving.

A survivor from the capital Tirana said he was awakened by violent shaking and thought the end of the world had come. Belidis, another citizen from Greece, also felt the huge power of the earthquake. He said: "Everything was shaking at an incredible rhythm. When I woke up, I could hear cracking walls, pots and pans, and The sound of breaking glass." A video posted on social media showed local residents searching for survivors on the ruins of the building. Orsi, a 39-year-old chef, described, "A four-story building collapsed, and many people died. Being pinned down”.

Albanian President Irir Meta went to Duman, the town closest to the epicenter, on the 26th, where he described the situation as "serious" and said, "We hope to overcome this disaster with the least loss," but it is still unclear. How many people are still trapped, and local people are worried that the death toll will rise further. On September 21 this year, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake occurred in Albania, injuring dozens of people. In just the past two months, another strong earthquake occurred in the country. Mihalevich, an expert from the local Institute of Hydrometeorology and Seismology, said that the last time The earthquake has severely damaged the stability of most buildings, which is likely to cause the death toll to continue to increase. At present, emergency rescue teams from Italy, Greece and Romania have joined the rescue work, and EU officials also said that they have contacted the Albanian government to provide assistance. In addition, U.N. officials said they have sent technical experts to the country. The Albanian government has declared the 27th local time as a national day of mourning to collectively mourn the victims. In addition, local schools will remain closed. (Overseas Network Wei Xuewei)