TIRANA, Jan. 16, 2022 – An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale hit central Albania at about 10:45 p.m on Sunday, leaving only minor damage to some homes near its epicenter, but rattling nerves in the densely populated Tirana-Durres region, which is still lingering in bad memories of the destructive Nov. 26, 2019 earthquake.
Sunday’s quake, officials said, had its epicenter 25 kilometers northeast of Tirana, in the area of Klos, in Burrel. After the main event, there were several aftershocks, ranging from 4.1 to 2.3.
Albania’s National Operational Center for Civil Emergencies said that light damage was reported in the Xibër Administrative Unit, Klos Municipality, in some apartments where there were cracks in the walls.
The Ministry of Defense said “all civil defense structures are on standby and in constant contact with all the municipalities of the country”.
The tremors were felt almost throughout the country. In Tirana, many citizens came out of their homes and into open areas as a precaution.
In Albania, the consequences of the 2019 powerful earthquake, which had magnitude of 6.4 and caused 51 deaths and more than 3,000 injuries and left thousands homeless.
