An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale with an epicenter in Klos, only 23 kilometers away from Tirana and with a depth of 3 kilometers, shook several cities of the country this evening. The earthquake was accompanied by other aftershocks, causing quite a bit of panic among the citizens, while no injured citizens were reported, only minor material damages, EMSC reports.
Strong tremors were felt in Tirana, in Klos, Lezhë, Fushë-Krujë, Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër, as well as Pogradec. According to the Ministry of Defense, so far some minor damage has been reported in Xibër Administrative Unit, Klos Municipality.
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| Map of the Balkans illustrating earthquake epicenter in Albania |
On the other hand, seismologist Rrapo Ormeni in an interview for local media said that this earthquake is common in the area while emphasizing that aftershocks are also expected. According to him, this earthquake does not cause damage. Ormeni said that the area of Klos is an area that has large earthquakes and has always had magnitude 5, adding that there is no need to panic.
According to local media correspondents, the situation in the cities where the tremors were felt is as follows:
In the district of Dibra, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, specifically in Klos, there are reports of light damage in some houses, mainly cracks in walls and in some chimneys, while fortunately no one was injured. Residents are worried as the tremors have been felt very strongly.
No material damage was reported in Tirana, but the strong tremors created panic among the residents, some of whom left their homes.
In Elbasan, the tremors were felt lightly and did not cause damage to homes.
In Shkodër, the tremors were felt lightly and no damage was reported. The tremors were felt on the upper floors of the buildings.
In Durrës, it felt light, but it did not cause panic among the residents.
Seismic tremors were also felt in Lezhë, which created fear and panic among the citizens, where there were also those who left their homes standing on the road or in vehicles, but no damage was reported.
It is worth noting that the Institute of Geosciences of Albania has not yet reported about the earthquake.