A 33-year-old man has been rescued from the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Durres. As rescue efforts enter the 58th hour and the death toll rose to 41, hopes were fading of finding any of the missing still alive.
Adriatik Bode, was pulled from the wreckage this afternoon as rescuers desperately search for around five people who are said to be missing. The rescue was conducted under the command of Mallakastra Fire Station commander Jonus Murataj and Hysland Aliaj, Ardit Sulaj, Sokol Kodeli, and Zamir Hoxha.
As he was rescued, the young man was videoed laughing and giving a thumbs up to the camera, despite what must have been a terrifying ordeal and having been stuck in the rubble during hundreds of aftershocks.
Rescue attempts have been stopped in Thumane where 23 people died, but the search continues in earnest in Durres where 17 people have been killed. Another person was killed in Kurbin.
A total of 46 people have been rescued so far, but three remain in a serious condition in hospital along with some 657 injuries reported overall.
A number of aftershocks, some as strong as magnitude 5.4 have hampered rescue attempts, making the delicate work more hazardous.
The main earthquake struck at 3:54 am on 26 November and registered a magnitude 0f 6.3, making it one of the biggest quakes to hit the region in decades. The previous biggest quake of recent times happened in September of this year with a magnitude of 5.6.
The worst hit areas were Durres, Kruje, and Tirana and almost all victims were the result of the collapse of three apartment buildings and three hotels in Durres, and two apartment buildings in Thumane. Hundreds of other buildings across the region are expected to be deemed as uninhabitable and thousands are left sleeping in tents in makeshift camps.
