TIRANA – An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale jolted western Greece in the early hours of Saturday, Athens Geodynamic Institute (AGI) was quoted by Greek media as reporting. Three people were slightly injured and a still unclear number of houses have been damaged.
The tremor’s epicenter was located at 14 km east-northeast of Parga town at a depth of 10 km, the AGI scientists said. It was felt in a large part of western Greece and the people alarmed exited their homes in the dark.
According to initial information by local authorities, some old houses have collapsed, and many residences have sustained extensive damage. An assessment of the situation is underway. There have also been landslides on the rural road network and the affected area had a brief power cut with electricity being restored by sunset, AMNA reported.
The earthquake was also felt in some areas of Albania, particularly in the south of the country. But eyewitnesses are quoted by local media on Saturday as saying that the jolt was felt even in central Albania and its capital Tirana.
People in these areas are still in panic from the earthquake of 26 November 2019 whose epicenter was in Durres, but shook strongly even Tirana. The last earthquake caused 51 fatalities and heavy material damages, and the inhabitants of some affected areas continue to live in tents. The expected reconstruction has been delayed because of the coronavirus infection, which has hit Albania./argumentum.al
