Albania earthquake: at least 22 dead as authorities hunt for survivors

Tremor struck 10 kilometres north-west of Shijak between port of Durres and capital Tirana, at shallow depth

People stand next to a damaged hotel after an earthquake, in Durres, western Albania. A powerful earthquake shook Albania early Tuesday, causing at least minor damage. AP Photo

A damaged building is pictured in Thumane, after an earthquake shook Albania. REUTERS

People look at a damaged building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania. A magnitude-6.4 earthquake has shaken Albania. The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) northwest of the capital Tirana. It was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). AP Photo

Residents gather outdoors in Tirana after two earthquakes above 6.3 magnitude struck the Adriatic coastline of Albania. AFP

People search at a damaged hotel after an earthquake, in Durres, western Albania. AP Photo

Emergency personnel work near a damaged building in Thumane, after an earthquake shook Albania. REUTERS

A damaged building is seen after an earthquake, in Durres, western Albania. AP Photo

A car is seen on fire after a car alarm short-circuited following a strong earthquake in Tirana, Albania in this picture obtained from social media. REUTERS

Rescuers searched the rubble of buildings in Albania on Tuesday night, after a powerful earthquake killed at least 22 people and injured 600 more that day.

A magnitude-6.4 earthquake, one of the strongest in the country's history, shook Albania shortly before 6am UAE time on Tuesday.

Soldiers, police and emergency workers looked through the debris of destroyed houses, hotels and apartment block near the country's north-west Adriatic coast, close to the earthquake's epicentre.

Most of the deaths occurred in coastal city of Durres and the town of Thumane.

The tremor, the second in two months to hit the country, struck 10 kilometres northwest of Shijak, Albania, between the port of Durres and the capital Tirana, at a shallow depth of 10km, the US Geological Survey said.

An intensity map from the USGS shows the location of a magnitude-6.4 earthquake which struck about 30km from Tirana. EPA

Video posted on social media showed what appeared to be one of at least three collapsed buildings in Durres, 40km west of Tirana, on the Adriatic.

Other footage showed buildings with large cracks and fallen masonry.

In Kurbin Muncipality, a man in his fifties died in the morning after jumping from his building in panic.

Another perished in a car accident after the earthquake tore open parts of the road, the ministry said.

More than 40 people have also been retrieved alive in marathon rescue efforts that continued with headlamps and spotlights after the sun went down.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 shook the country on September 21, damaging about 500 houses and destroying some.

The Defence Ministry said it was the most powerful quake in Albania in the last 30 years.