On 26 November 2019 at 03:54 CET (UTC+1), northwestern Albania was struck by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake with an epicentre 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west-southwest of Mamurras. The earthquake lasted at least 50 seconds and was felt in Albania's capital Tirana, and in places as far away as Bari, Taranto and Belgrade, 370 kilometres (230 mi) northeast of the epicentre. The maximum felt intensity was VIII (Severe) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. A total of 51 people were killed in the earthquake, with about 3,000 injured. It was the second earthquake to strike the region within three months. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Albania in more than 40 years, its deadliest earthquake in 99 years and the world's deadliest earthquake in 2019.
Tectonic setting
Albania lies across the convergent boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Adriatic plate, part of the complex collision zone with the African plate. The structure of the western part of Albania is dominated by active thrust tectonics. The region is seismically active, with several M ≥ 6 earthquakes in the last hundred years. In 1979, the largest of these events struck 70 kilometres (43 mi) further north, in Montenegro, killing 136 people (101 in Montenegro and 35 in Albania).
Earthquake
The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4 , according to the ANSS Comprehensive Catalog. The observed focal mechanism is consistent with reverse movement on a NW-SE trending fault, parallel to the known thrust faults in the area. The maximum perceived intensity was VIII (severe) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MMI). Modelling using a combination of data from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) provides further constraints on the fault that moved during the earthquake. This suggests that the rupture plane had a dip of 23° to the east-northeast at a depth of about 16.5 km. The estimated displacement on this thrust fault is 0.55 m over a rupture with dimensions 22 km x 13 km. The east-dipping Shirak Fault is considered the structure likely to be responsible for the earthquake. The mainshock was detected also via crowdsourcing by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, where seismologists observed a surge in the LastQuake app launches and lately collected up to 58,125 reports on the event from the earthquake eyewitnesses.
Foreshocks
The largest foreshock was the Mw5.6 earthquake that occurred on 21 September 2019, with an epicenter approximately 20 km south of the mainshock, ENE of Durrës, which was at the time the most powerful in 30 years and damaged 500 houses. Two further foreshocks of M>4, were recorded with epicentres to the south, in the six hours before the mainshock.
Aftershocks
By 1 December, there had been 1,300 aftershocks. As of 02:00 (UTC) 27 January 2020, there had been five aftershocks that were greater than M 5.0 and a further forty-five between M 4 and 5. The largest aftershock occurred at 07:08 CET (UTC+1), less than four hours after the mainshock, with a magnitude of M 5.4. This event caused shaking of intensity VII (very strong).
Intensity
The earthquake was felt over a wide area, with intensities reaching VIII (Severe) in Durrës, VII (Very Strong) in the Albanian capital of Tirana and VI (Strong) in Elbasan.
Damage
The damage was mostly in the large port city of Durrës and the village of Kodër-Thumanë, which are near the epicentre of the earthquake. Two hotels and two apartment blocks collapsed in Durrës. Four buildings, including a five-storey apartment block, collapsed in Kodër-Thumanë and the town was the hardest hit by the earthquake. The town of Laç was extensively damaged. A state of emergency lasting 30 days was declared by the Albanian government for Durrës, Thumanë and Tirana and later extended to Lezhë and Laç. In accordance with the Albanian constitution regarding an emergency situation, the Albanian parliament granted Prime Minister Edi Rama state of emergency powers to deal with the earthquake aftermath. Aftershocks followed that shook structures ruined during the earthquake and caused concern among locals. Subsequently, numerous homes were no longer safe to reside in.
Albanian soldiers, numbering in the hundreds, and some 2,000 Albanian police officers were dispatched to the earthquake affected localities of Thumanë, Durrës, and the nearby wider area. They were tasked to assist with the rescue operation and the installation of shelter facilities for displaced people. Three hundred emergency tents to shelter some 1,000 people were erected at a sportsfield within Thumanë and close to a stadium in Durrës. Albanian troops working with limited resources rescued people from the debris of collapsed structures, and they were assisted by 250 troops from the United States and various European countries.
As the last severe earthquake in Albania was in 1979, it lacked expertise in rescue operations. Subsequently, rescue crews with specialised equipment, sniffer dogs and emergency supplies came to Albania from neighbouring countries and other European nations to help in the search efforts and provide for those left homeless. In total, people from foreign countries involved in search and rescue numbered 670. Many homeless people in Kodër-Thumanë spent two nights in tents, refusing to stay in hotels on the Adriatic Sea. Special forces (RENEA) continued searching for several people who were reported missing, and at least 45 individuals were rescued alive from the rubble.
The aftershocks, some of which were quite large, made it difficult for the search and rescue teams. Albania's Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu initially announced over 900 injuries, of which 731 were treated at the hospitals in Tirana and Durrës alone. Reports from the Ministry of Health stated that care was provided for 62 injured people who were in a stable condition, except for 3 people in intensive care. Later, official information from the government confirmed 51 people were killed in the earthquake – 25 in Durrës, 25 in Thumanë, and 1 in Lezhë. Among the deceased were 7 children aged between 2–8. Following the earthquake, an additional 2 people from Kurbin died, one from their injuries in hospital and another through suicide, due to posttraumatic stress. In the aftermath of the event, 5,200 locals were without any shelter. Forty-five people trapped in earthquake debris were rescued.
An Albanian military owned dwelling in Durrës, social centres in Tirana and various privately owned buildings such as 90 gyms in Krujë, Tirana, Lezhë, Durrës and numerous hotels in Vlorë, Durrës and Tirana were adapted and opened to shelter displaced people. Some 2,500 displaced people have been housed in hotels, another 2,100 are in tents, whereas others affected by the earthquake slept in gyms or their cars. In Durrës, authorities distributed food throughout the city and reports of complaints emerged that some people had not yet obtained supplies. Due to safety concerns and aftershocks, some people were not allowed to reenter their own homes and became dependent on food donations until engineers checked buildings. Stemming from concerns caused by the earthquake, there were locals who did not want to return to their homes.
Displaced people have been relocated to Kosovo, with 500 residing in a former German NATO military base in Prizren refitted as a temporary camp by the Kosovo government. Some displaced people are housed in the Kosovan municipalities of Lipjan numbering 3 families, 11 families with 48 members in Podujevë, 70 people in Malishevë, 150 people in Pristina and others in Gjakova. Other people have gone to eastern Albania. Albanian physicians assisted in relief efforts.
Albanian President Ilir Meta, Prime Minister Rama and opposition leader Lulzim Basha visited the earthquake epicentre to see firsthand the situation and damage. The often fraught political rivalry between Meta, Rama and Basha was put aside as all three were involved in relief efforts. National operational centres were established by the Albanian government, along with a phone line for people affected by the earthquake needing clothes or food.
In the immediate aftermath, 2,500 people became displaced by the earthquake and are temporarily being accommodated either in the Niko Dovana Stadium of Durrës in tents or in hotels. Turkey evacuated 23 of its citizens from Albania to a hospital located in Izmir province.
On 30 November, Prime Minister Rama announced the end of the search and rescue operation, as no more bodies were expected to be under the rubble. According to his statement, about 2,000 people were injured from the earthquake in total, with more than 4,000 being left homeless in the disaster's aftermath. Preliminary figures indicated that more than 1,465 buildings in the capital Tirana suffered serious damage, in addition to about 900 in nearby Durrës. The first funeral for the deceased was held on Friday, with hundreds of people in attendance, including President Meta and Prime Minister Rama.
Earthquake damage is being checked by civil engineers from the European Union, United States and local experts to assess whether buildings are structurally sound, unsafe and required demolition or just needed replastering. Demolition of damaged structures deemed unsafe, some through remote control explosions by the Albanian army, began, with others to follow suit in the future. The Prosecutor's office ordered on 3 December that it needed lists of damaged buildings from police and municipal authorities before permission was granted for demolition, due to pending investigations.
The EU office in Albania estimated that some 1.9 million people out of a total population of 2.8 million have been affected by the earthquake. Of those, more than 3,000 people were injured, 14,000 became homeless and throughout Albania 14,000 buildings were damaged, of which 2,500 are rendered uninhabitable. According to the Albanian government, in mid-December 13,000 people were placed in shelters, of whom 5,000 were placed in hotels. A fortnight after the event, some rural earthquake victims in the impact zone stated that government aid was either inadequate to non-existent and that they were still living in a dire situation. Official data in early January stated that 10,000 people were still sheltering in tents. In late January 2020, 48,000 dwellings and structures have undergone inspection and the government has identified 35 areas in 10 municipalities for future rebuilding work.
In early February 2020, the Albanian government put the damage figure at €985 million (US$1.09 billion). More than 11,000 buildings were destroyed, and 83,000 others were damaged. More than 200,000 people were affected by the earthquake, and the government estimated that about €1.1 billion (US$1.21 billion) is required for post-earthquake reconstruction.
Aftermath
A national day of mourning was declared in Albania and neighbouring Kosovo where two of the victims were from and which has an ethnic Albanian majority population. In North Macedonia, the Albanian majority municipalities of Tetovo, Struga and Čair held days of mourning for the earthquake victims. Albanian Independence Day celebrations, held annually on 28 November, were cancelled in Albania, Kosovo and in majority Albanian municipalities of North Macedonia and Montenegro.
Albanian civilian and state response
In Albania, volunteers, along with some small organisations established drop off points for donations of food, clothing, blankets and hygiene products at prominent landmarks throughout Tirana and used social media to mobilise people to provide assistance. Three humanitarian organisations sorted and packed the items and sent them through several truckloads for distribution among displaced people of the earthquake zone. As demand was high, citizens were urged to donate over the coming days. Hundreds of Albanians in Albania and Kosovo opened their homes to people displaced by the earthquake. Some students from Tirana went to assist relief efforts in Durrës and delivered hundreds of meals to earthquake affected people. Residents of Tirana held a candlelight vigil in the city centre in honour of the deceased.