A 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits theCoastal city of Durres, Albania

[Meatpie]

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.

 

[deaddirty]

Apparently it was widely felt across the Balkans - did you feel it Meatpie?

 

[Meatpie]

Fortunately no but there were some reports from people in taller buildings in my area.

The epicentre was more than 500km away. 21 people have no been confirmed killed by this major eartquake in Europe.

The earthquake occurred as the result of thrust faulting near the convergent boundary of the Africa and Eurasia plates. Focal mechanism solutions indicate reverse slip on a shallow or steeply dipping fault. Northwest-Southeast striking reverse faulting is consistent with the tectonics of the region. At the location of this event, the Africa plate converges with the Eurasia plate at a rate of 73 mm/year.



Tectonics of the Mediterranian Sea, in the convergent boundary region between Africa and Eurasia, are complex, and involve the motions of numerous microplates and regional-scale structures. In the context of the November 26, 2019 earthquake, reverse faulting in Albania on the eastern shores of the Adriatic is consistent with the closing of that sea, and shortening across the mountain belts stretching from Croatia to Greece.

Large earthquakes are common in this region; seven M6 and larger events have occurred within 150 km of this November 26 earthquake over the past 100 years. The largest was a M6.9 earthquake on April 15, 1979 that occured 70 km to the north-northeast of the November 26th earthquake, killing 100 people in Montenegro, 35 in Albania and leaving 100,000 people homeless. A M6.7 earthquake on November 30, 1967, 80 km to the east of today’s event, resulted in 19 fatalities and significant damage in the surrounding region.

 

[Meatpie]

CCTV Captures the Moment Earthquake Struck

 

[Meatpie]

Total number of people killed in the earthquakes has risen to 42 making Albania one of the deadliest earthquakes in recent European history.

 

[Meatpie]

Deathtoll Rises Further to 51



The 6.4-magnitude quake that hit Albania’s Adriatic coast before dawn on Tuesday has left at least 51 people dead, around 2,000 others injured and about 4,000 people homeless. The worst hit areas were the port town of Durres, a popular beach vacation spot for Albanians that is 33 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Tirana, and the nearby town of Thumane.


Both locations saw apartment buildings crumble from the power of the earthquake. Hundreds of rescuers from more than a dozen countries from Europe and beyond flew in to help in search-and-rescue operations, while more countries sent in medical supplies, tents and other forms of aid. A week later rescuers were still finding more bodies than survivors.

 

[Meatpie]

Bulgaria has sent €100,000 in humanitarian aid to Albania. An additional €50,000 worth of aid in the form of 1,000 tents, 1,000 blankets and pillows and other materials were sent as well.

 

[deaddirty]

Thanks for all the info Meatpie - we heard virtually nothing about it in Britain.
We never get seriously large earthquakes (touch wood!) - just a few historically up to magnitude 5-6, mostly much less. The one in 1185 which destroyed most of the original Lincoln Cathedral may have been major, but then again maybe the foundations were inadequate so a fairly minor quake was able to bring it down.
I've never felt one, though a few people I know have (in the UK), and one was shaken out of bed by the 1984 Gwynedd earthquake.