Tirana, Albania
Albania’s prime minister said Sunday he has called on the international community financial aid and expert assistance to help the country recover from a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed 51 persons and left thousands homeless. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the government was reshaping the budget to help deal with the crisis but that the country also needs international support. “Simply, this is humanly impossible to do this (reconstruction) alone,” Rama said at a regular morning Cabinet meeting. Rama met with a group of ambassadors Saturday evening, including representatives from the European Union, United States, Turkey and Japan, and delivered the same message to them, he told his ministers. Tuesday’s quake that hit Albania’s Adriatic coast also injured more than 3,000 people and left thousands homeless. —AP
