Albanian PM says death toll rises to 50 after earthquake

The death toll from Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in Albania has risen to 50, the country's prime minister said on Saturday.

Edi Rama after the extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers said that the search and rescue operations have been completed.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said that some 913 people were injured.

The search and rescue operations were conducted by teams from Turkey, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, and Greece, among other countries.

The earthquake hit at 3.54 a.m. local time (0254GMT) on Tuesday, with an epicenter 15 kilometers (9 miles) off the coast of Durres, at a depth of 38 km (23 mi).

The quake, which was felt throughout the region, caused communication problems and power cuts in Albania.

Hours later, at around 10.19 a.m. local time (0919GMT), a 5.4 earthquake hit Nevesinje in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, 71 km (44 mi) south of the capital Sarajevo.

Turkey's state aid agency Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) delivered 500 food packages and 500 blankets to quake victims.

The aid was reportedly the first to arrive from any country since the quake.