Northwestern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

was struck by a magnitude 6.4

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

with an epicentre 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west-southwest of Mamurras, at 03:54 CET (

UTC+1 UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2019-02-07T23:28:34+01:00. This time is used in: *Central European Time *West Africa Time *Western European Summer Time **B ...

) on 26 November 2019. The earthquake lasted at least 50 seconds and was felt in Albania's capital

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, and in places as far away as

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Ital ...

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important comme ...

and

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

, 370 kilometres (230 mi) northeast of the epicentre. The maximum felt intensity was VIII (''Severe'') on the

Modified Mercalli intensity scale The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...

. A total of 51 people were killed in the earthquake, with about 3,000 injured. It was the second earthquake to strike the region in the space of 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 A convergent boundary (also known as a destructive boundary) is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as subduction. The subduction zone can be defined by a p ...

between the

Eurasian Plate The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate that includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent an ...

and the Adriatic Plate, part of the complex collision zone with the

African Plate The African Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes much of the continent of Africa (except for its easternmost part) and the adjacent oceanic crust to the west and south. It is bounded by the North American Plate and South American Plate ...

. The structure of the western part of Albania is dominated by active thrust tectonics. The region is

seismically active An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...

, with several ≥ 6 earthquakes in the last hundred years. In 1979, the largest of these events struck further north, in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

, killing 136 people (101 in Montenegro and 35 in Albania).

Earthquake

The earthquake had magnitude of 6.4 , according to the ANSS Comprehensive Catalog. The observed

focal mechanism The focal mechanism of an earthquake describes the deformation in the source region that generates the seismic waves. In the case of a fault-related event it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped and the slip vector and ...

is consistent with reverse movement on a NW-SE trending fault, parallel to the known

thrust fault A thrust fault is a break in the Earth's crust, across which older rocks are pushed above younger rocks. Thrust geometry and nomenclature Reverse faults A thrust fault is a type of reverse fault that has a dip of 45 degrees or less. If ...

s in the area. The maximum perceived intensity was VIII (''severe'') on the

(MMI). Modelling using a combination of data from the

global navigation satellite system A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

(GNSS) and

interferometric synthetic-aperture radar Interferometric synthetic aperture radar, abbreviated InSAR (or deprecated IfSAR), is a radar technique used in geodesy and remote sensing. This geodetic method uses two or more synthetic aperture radar (SAR) radar imaging, images to generate maps o ...

(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 The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC; french: Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen, ) is an international, non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation. The European-Mediterranean region is prone to destructive earthqua ...

, 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 5.6 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

aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousa ...

s. 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 Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

, VII (''Very Strong'') in the Albanian capital of

and VI (''Strong'') in

Elbasan Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central ...

Damage

The damage was mostly in the large port city of

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 hardest hit from the earthquake. The town of Laç was extensively damaged. A

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

lasting 30 days was declared by the Albanian government for Durrës, Thumanë and

and later extended to Lezhë and Laç. In accordance with the Albanian constitution regarding an emergency situation, the

Albanian parliament The Parliament of Albania ( sq, Kuvendi i Shqipërisë) or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to ...

granted

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...

state of emergency powers to deal with 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. File:Terremoto Albania (49177504888).jpg, Prime Minister Edi Rama converses with a displaced person File:Terremoto Albania (49156564723).jpg, EU officials meeting displaced people File:Terremoto in Albania (49131883062).jpg, Members of the

Albanian army The Albanian Land Force ( sq, Forca Tokësore të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the land force branch of the Albanian Armed Forces. Mission The Albanian Land Force's main mission is the defense of the independence, sovereignty and territorial ...

involved in relief work File:Terremoto in Albania (49131201773).jpg, Emergency tents prepared for displaced people at the stadium in Durrës File:Terremoto in Albania (49131696306).jpg, Displaced people housed in emergency tents

Albanian soldiers Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture ** Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the countr ...

, 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 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 The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

Special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...

(RENEA) continued searching for several people that were reported missing, and at least 45 individuals were rescued alive from the rubble. IDF Aid Mission to Albania, December 2019

IDF Aid Mission to Albania, December 2019

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, with the exception of 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 Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km north from the capital of Albania, Tirana. Kru ...

, Tirana, Lezhë, Durrës and numerous hotels in

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

, 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 ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

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 Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in District of Pristina, Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population o ...

and others in Gjakova. Other people have gone to eastern Albania. Albanian physicians assisted in relief efforts. Albanian President

Ilir Meta Ilir Rexhep Meta (; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician. He served as President of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022. Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and he was Speaker of the Parliament of Albania ...

, 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 The Niko Dovana Stadium, officially Stadiumi "Niko Dovana", is a multi-use stadium located in Durrës, Albania. It is the home ground of Teuta. The capacity is 12,040, making it the fifth largest ground in the country. It was renamed in 1991 in ...

of Durrës in tents or in hotels. Turkey evacuated 23 of its citizens from Albania to a hospital located in Izmir province. File:Terremoto in Albania (49137444462).jpg, Aerial view of collapsed building in Durrës File:Terremoto in Albania (49137246301).jpg, Aerial view of collapsed building in Durrës File:Terremoto Albania (49157136581).jpg, Earthquake damage in Durrës File:Terremoto in Albania (49131882797).jpg, Search and rescue team from Italy working on a collapsed building File:Terremoto in Albania (49131201918).jpg, Search and rescue team from Romania working on a collapsed building 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 showed 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. Terremoto in Albania (49137444512)

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 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 13 December 000 people were "accommodated" in shelter, 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 publicised figures that earthquake damage to private and public properties cost €844 million. Full reconstruction costs are estimated at €1.07 billion, with €800 million devoted to the rebuilding of homes and the rest allocated for repairing health centres, schools and infrastructure damaged by the earthquake. Other structures, such as 321 kindergartens and schools sustained €72 million worth of damage. A total of 11,490 homes were rendered damaged or destroyed and another 83,000 are in need of repairs.

Aftermath

national day of mourning A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...

was declared in Albania and neighbouring

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

where two of the victims were from and which has an

ethnic Albanian The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbi ...

majority population. In North Macedonia, the Albanian majority municipalities of

Tetovo Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...

, 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 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 candle light vigil in the city centre in honour of the deceased. The Albanian state initiated an online fundraising campaign for donations, raising 156 million leks, €1,600,000 and $25,000. The

Socialist party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

in parliament and members of the Albanian government along with 60 mayors donated their November salary to the aid effort. The

Muslim Community of Albania The Muslim Community of Albania (KMSH; sq, Komuniteti Mysliman i Shqipërisë) is an independent religious organisation of Muslims in Albania existing since February 24, 1923. The headquarters of the community are located in Tirana and the curre ...

organised nationwide fundraising for monetary, food and material supplies and opened its mosques and madrasas as a place of shelter for earthquake victims. The

Orthodox Church of Albania The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania ( sq, Kisha Ortodokse Autoqefale e Shqipërisë), commonly known as the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church of Albania, is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern O ...

under Archbishop Anastasios opened the local monasteries and churches to people displaced by the earthquake. The

Catholic Church in Albania The Catholic Church in Albania is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. According to some sources around 16-17% of the population of Albania were Catholic,Caritas. Football fan groups such as " Kuq e Zi" of the

Albania national football team The Albania national football team ( sq, Kombëtarja e futbollit të Shqipërisë) represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania. Albania com ...

set up an emergency fund and sent volunteers from throughout the country to assist in relief operations. Fan groups from local teams such as " Tirona Fanatics" KF Tirana, "Guerrils"

FK Partizani Tirana Futboll Klub Partizani, or FK Partizani for short, is an Albanian professional football club based in Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore. Founded in 1946, the club was historically affiliated to the Albanian army. Partizani's curren ...

KF Vllaznia Shkodër Klubi I Futbollit Vllaznia Shkodër, commonly known as Vllaznia is an Albanian football club based in the city of Shkodër. It is the association football branch of the Vllaznia Sports Club, which was founded on 16 February 1919. It is also the ...

and players from clubs such as

FK Kukësi Futboll Klub Kukësi is an Albanian professional football club based in the city of Kukës. The club plays its home games at the Zeqir Ymeri Stadium and they currently compete in the Kategoria Superiore, the highest tier of Albanian football. Th ...

sent food and clothing supplies and expressed solidarity with victims during matches following the first weekend after the earthquake. Terremoto in Albania (49131201913)

The Albanian government established a monetary compensation scheme that would give families of deceased people scholarships to children, pensions for the elderly and 1 million lek ($9,000) for a family. Prime Minister Rama said that the state budget was being reconfigured to manage the situation following the earthquake. Rama stated that the draft budget of 2020 would provide funds for the construction of homes and cost some 7 billion leke ($63.10 million) or 0.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The exact final amount is unknown and apart from the aim of getting displaced people into homes, Rama wants reconstruction to expand economic growth, jobs and consumption. Apart from costs and planned projects already factored in, the government committed itself to no new budgetary expenditure except for irrigation, so as to accumulate funds for reconstruction. Rama has called for additional expert assistance and monetary aid geared toward recovery from the international community stating that Albania lacks the capacity "to do this econstructionalone." By mid December, 13 billion leks ($171 million) were allocated for future reconstruction by the Albanian government. In late January 2020, the government budget placed a total of 20 billion Lek in a fund for the future rebuilding process. 2019_earthquake_damage_of_the_Durres_castle_walls_

2019_earthquake_damage_of_the_Durres_castle_walls_

In Albania, a large proportion of the earthquake damage has been blamed on corruption, violations of the building code and substandard construction following the demise of communism during the early 1990s. The Albanian state has drafted a law in the aftermath of the earthquake that would see investors, supervisors and architects go to prison for a period of 7–15 years if proper construction practices are violated. Albanian prosecutors have begun proceedings to investigate violations of regulations and illegal building within the construction industry. On 14 December, Albanian prosecutors and police detained nine people on charges of murder and abuse of power, including two owners of collapsed hotels. A further eight individuals are being sought who are also suspected of failing to follow safety regulations. In mid December, Prime Minister Rama was criticised by NGOs, human rights organisations and parts of the media of misusing the situation to pass controversial legislation after he sought a three-month extension for his state of emergency powers from parliament. A new government portfolio was established and on 20 December, Arben Ahmetaj became the Minister of State for Reconstruction to oversee the rebuilding process.

Kosovo Albanian civilian assistance

In Kosovo, its ethnic Albanian population reacted to the earthquake in Albania with sentiments of solidarity, moved in part by memories of solidarity and sanctuary the Albanians of Albania provided them when they fled ethnic cleansing by Serb forces during the 1999

Kosovo war The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...

. Kosovo Albanians undertook fundraising initiatives and appeals, collected money, food, clothing and shelter donations. In

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...

, volunteers established a drop off point in the central square for donations of supplies and several truckloads were sent to displaced people affected by the earthquake. Volunteers and humanitarian aid in trucks, buses and hundreds of cars from Kosovo traveled to Albania to assist in the situation and people were involved in tasks such as the operation of mobile kitchens and gathering financial aid. Kosovo Albanian school children donated clothes, food, and books. By 29 November, more than 100 tons of supplies donated by Kosovo businesses and civilians reached Albania. Candle light vigils were held in parts of Kosovo in honour of the deceased. Various football fan groups and their clubs such as"Intelektualët"

FC Drita Football Club Drita ( sq, Klubi Futbollistik Drita), commonly known as Drita, is a professional football club based in Gjilan, Kosovo. The club plays in the Football Superleague of Kosovo . The club's home ground is the Gjilan City Stadium. It ...

, "Skifterat" SC Gjilani, "Plisat"

FC Prishtina Football Club Prishtina ( sq, Klubi Futbollistik Prishtina, ; sr, Фудбалски клуб Приштина, Fudbalski klub Priština), commonly known as Prishtina, is a professional football club based in Prishtina, Kosovo. The club play i ...

, "Stuhia e Kuqe" KF Arbëria, "Tigrat" KF Ulpiana, "Legjendat" FC Llapi, "Gladiatorët" KF Vushtrria and from KF KEK were involved in collecting donations, mobilising and sending busloads of volunteers to assist in relief efforts. The Islamic Community of Kosovo organised a fundraising effort on 29 November after

Friday prayers In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...

across all its mosques within the country and sent several convoys of aid to earthquake victims. The

Catholic Church in Kosovo The Catholic Church has a population in Kosovo of approximately 65,000 in a region of roughly 2 million people. Another 60,000 Kosovan Catholics are outside the region, mainly for work. They are mainly ethnic Albanians, with a few Croats. The D ...

sent members from the local branch of the Catholic charity Caritas to assist in Albania. In Kosovo, the Catholic Church held mass on 1 December across the country and it collected charitable donations by parishioners for earthquake victims and their families. President

Hashim Thaçi Hashim Thaçi (; born 24 April 1968) is a Kosovar Albanian politician who was the president of Kosovo from April 2016 until his resignation on 5 November 2020 to face a war crimes tribunal. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo and the For ...

was part of a presidential delegation that visited the earthquake epicentre and expressed his condolences on behalf of Kosovo. On 29 November, outgoing Kosovo Prime Minister

Ramush Haradinaj Ramush Haradinaj (; born 3 July 1968) is a Kosovo Albanian politician, leader of the AAK party, and the third prime minister of Kosovo. He is a former officer and leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and previously served as Prime Minister ...

and his successor Albin Kurti visited Durrës to survey the damage and expressed Kosovan commitment to relief efforts and the need for institutional cooperation between both countries. In Serbia, ethnic Albanians of the

Preševo valley The Preševo Valley ( sr-cyrl, Прешевска долина, Preševska dolina, al, Lugina e Preshevës) is a geopolitical region in southern Serbia, along the border with Kosovo. The valley geographically includes municipalities of Bujanovac ...

donated aid and sent it through several convoys to earthquake victims.

Albanian civilian assistance from Montenegro and North Macedonia

Albanians from North Macedonia responded in large numbers to the Albanian government's appeal for financial assistance through donations to various humanitarian organisations and special bank accounts fundraising for aid. The Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia organised a fundraising effort on 29 November after Friday prayers across all its mosques within North Macedonia. Parliamentary speaker

Talat Xhaferi Talat Xhaferi or Talat Dzhaferi ( mk, Талат Џафери, translit=Talat Džaferi, ; born 15 April 1962) is a Macedonian politician and the current President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia since 2017. He was also Minist ...

, Deputy Prime Minister

Bujar Osmani Bujar M. Osmani (, born 11 September 1979) is a Macedonian politician of Albanian descent serving as the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia and former Minister of Health. In June 2017, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister i ...

and leader of

DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

Ali Ahmeti were part of a delegation of Albanian politicians from North Macedonia visiting the earthquake epicentre that expressed their condolences to President Meta. The mayor of Čair, Visar Ganiu visited the earthquake epicentre and brought fans known as "Shvercerat" from the football club FK Shkupi to volunteer assistance. Other football fan groups " Ballistët"

KF Shkëndija Klubi i Futbollit Shkëndija () commonly known as Shkëndija, is a football club based in Tetovo, North Macedonia. Their home stadium is Ecolog Arena and they currently play in the Macedonian First League. In the 2010–11 season of the Mac ...

and "Ilirët" KF Bashkimi collected donations and sent busloads of volunteers to assist in relief efforts. In Montenegro, ethnic Albanians from

Ulcinj Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians. As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic co ...

were involved in a major relief effort sending items such as food, blankets, diapers and baby milk through a local humanitarian organisation Amaneti and in

Tuzi Tuzi ( cnr, Tuzi/Тузи, ; sq, Tuz or ''Tuzi'') is a small town in Montenegro and the seat of Tuzi Municipality, Montenegro. It is located along a main road between the city of Podgorica and the Albanian border crossing, just a few kilometers ...

through fundraising efforts. A blood donation effort for earthquake victims was organised by the Bosniak Youth Forum of Montenegro with hundreds of Albanians from Ulcinj partaking in the initiative. In Ulcinj, the Islamic Community of Montenegro collected aid for earthquake victims in all mosques of the city and surrounding area.

Local business and International civilian assistance

Various prominent businesses owned by ethnic Albanians and charities in Albania and Kosovo along with notable members of the Albanian community in the Balkans including businessmen, politicians, journalists, actors and socialites made large financial contributions for humanitarian aid. Businesses that made large donations include the International Albanian Airport (€1,000,000) and Balfin Group (€1,200,000), the charities Fundjavë Ndryshe ($1,400,000) and Shqiptarët për Shqiptarët ($590,000), along with individuals such as Kosovo politician

Behgjet Pacolli Behgjet Isa Pacolli ; sh, Behđet Isa Pacoli. (born 30 August 1951) is a Kosovar Albanian politician and businessman who served as the first deputy prime minister of Kosovo and minister of foreign affairs from 2017 to 2019 under the Ramush Hara ...

(€1,000,000) and Albanian businessman Shefqet Kastrati (€1,500,000). Globally, the

Albanian diaspora The Albanian diaspora ( sq, Mërgata Shqiptare or Diaspora Shqiptare) are the ethnic Albanians and their descendants living outside of Albania, Kosovo, southeastern Montenegro, western North Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, northwestern Greece a ...

expressed its solidarity and held multiple fundraisers to send money to Albania and assist people impacted by the earthquake. In the United States, an Albanian-American organisation named Albanian Roots raised $1,300,000 for earthquake victims. Global celebrities of Albanian descent such as

Bebe Rexha Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which lat ...

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...

, and Dua Lipa pledged support, sent donations, and made visits to the country's most quake-ravaged regions in hopes to rebuild some of the affected areas' infrastructure. In all, these non-state donations by Albanians from the Balkans and global diaspora totaled some 13 million dollars of humanitarian assistance to Albania. Individual donations by people from 76 countries were also made through online fundraising on the websites

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...

and

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

totaling $3,600,000. Money from the Albanian diaspora continued to arrive in Albania and Prime Minister Rama tasked a group of fundraisers, that includes a Muslim imam experienced in housing the needy, to combine the donations and maintain oversight of their usage. By early December, all donations for humanitarian assistance totaled $92 million.

International donors conferences and reconstruction efforts

The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, the Ecumenical Patriarch, the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

Secretary General, presidents of Azerbaijan, China, Armenia, Serbia, Montenegro, United States and Greece, the German Chancellor, the monarchs of Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the Bulgarian Prime Minister and the Iranian and Estonian foreign ministers expressed their condolences to the people of Albania. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences, called for aid from other

Muslim countries The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

and stated he will lobby them to give assistance to Albania for future reconstruction. Prime Minister Rama contacted President Erdogan and asked for the creation of an international donors conference with one involving western countries and the other with states from the east. Rama also wrote to US President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and other countries such as Sweden, Malaysia, Japan, Great Britain, Germany and Australia asking for assistance. President Erdogan, citing close Albanian-Turkish relations, committed Turkey to reconstructing 500 earthquake destroyed homes in Albania. The Turkish reconstruction effort will focus on Laç and Kodër-Thumanë where the homes will be built, along with civic structures such as gardens, parks, shopping centers, parking lots and religious buildings. The Turkish government will administer reconstruction in Laç and cooperate with the Albanian government on building designs and getting earthquake affected people quickly into homes. Qatar committed itself to the future reconstruction effort. At the NATO 2019 London summit (3–4 December), constructive discussions were held by Prime Minister Rama with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

, British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

and other European leaders over establishing an international conference for financial aid. German chancellor

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

has stated that Germany would provide future assistance. In Istanbul, Turkey held a donors conference (8 December) for Albania that was organised and attended by President Erdogan and included Turkish businessmen, investors and Prime Minister Rama. On 12 December, Italian Foreign Minister

Luigi Di Maio Luigi Di Maio (; born 6 July 1986) is an Italian former stadium beverage vendor and politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2022, as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Economic Development, Labour and So ...

made calls for the establishment of an international conference for financial aid to Albania. Following the completion of the earthquake damage report by Albanian authorities, the European Council announced on 13 December that the European Union will organise an international donors conference for January 2020 in Tirana. A Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) was established by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

(UN),

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

and EU to assess the situation and to provide information for the donors' conference regarding efforts toward rehabilitation and reconstruction. On 10 January the EU announced that it had organised a donors’ conference for Albania to take place on 17 February. Apart from the EU and its member countries, delegates from other states, international organisations and financial institutions such as the UN and World Bank are expected to partake in the conference.

International assistance

A number of countries and businesses have offered assistance for relief: * The Association of Global Art (AGA) sent a large humanitarian aid of more than €700,000 and its president Avner Shalom Friedman suited Albania as coordinated with the Albanian government and military authorities professional aid of about fifty architects and engineers as a rescue and plan team right after the earthquake. (Ref. www.artgoesglobal.org). *

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

—

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

600,000 were allocated by the Austrian government for humanitarian aid and future reconstruction to Albania. *

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

— €500,000 were allocated by the Azerbaijani government for humanitarian aid to Albania. *

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

— Some €30,000 ( BAM60,000) was collected by one association and 120 tonnes of goods in aid was sent to people in Albania. The

Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian/ Croatian: ''Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine'', sr, Савјет министара Босне и Херцеговине), often called Bosnian Government ( bs, Vlada Bosne i He ...

allocated about €50,000 (BAM100,000) to assist Albania. *

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

— €100,000 were allocated by the Bulgarian government for humanitarian aid to Albania. An additional €50,000 worth of aid in the form of 1,000 tents, 1,000 blankets and pillows and other materials were sent as well. * China — Chinese authorities stated that they will provide future financial assistance. Two Chinese companies raised €2,000,000 for the relief effort. In early December, the Chinese embassy in Albania donated humanitarian supplies and distributed them through the Red Cross to people affected by earthquake. *

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

— A search and rescue team, composed of 15 members of the Directorate for Civil Protection of

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

and search and rescue dogs, plus two military helicopters was sent to Albania. *

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

- Czech Republic offered assistance to Albania shortly after 9 am, depicting the deployment of one medium USAR team, which is composed of the Czech Fire Rescue Service. The central USAR team from the controller consists of 36 people - cynologists, doctors, technicians, detachment commander, platoon commander, 1 + 9 firemen-rescue teams and statics. The Czech Parliament showed solidarity by holding 1 minute silence honoring the victims of earthquake in Albania. *

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

— In late December, Egypt through its organisation the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) delivered medical aid to Albania for people affected by the earthquake. *

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

— €50,000 were allocated by the Estonian government for future reconstruction in Albania. Terremoto Albania (49178209467)

— Have donated to Albania €1.15 billion and activated the Civil Protection Mechanism on the day of the earthquake. As such, the EU became involved in the international assistance effort that followed in relation to mobilisation of three teams from Romania, Greece and Italy, aid and structural engineers to evaluate earthquake damage. The EU promised to provide further future assistance to the state and people affected by the earthquake. The EU worked with the United Nations to coordinate earthquake relief assistance. The EU allocated €15,000,000 for earthquake relief in Albania and it will send 200 individuals to assist with the rebuilding process.Press corner
*

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

— Three teams representing a total of 100 rescuers belonging to the

Sécurité Civile The (General directorate for civil defense and crisis management) is a civil defense agency of the French Government. It operates for the Ministry of the Interior and employs some 2,500 civilian and military personnel over 60 sites. Known as the ...

, the Bataillon des Marins-Pompiers de Marseille, and the firefighters of the south of France were deployed. They were backed by two Sécurité Civile's planes: a

Beechcraft Super King Air 200 The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...

for light transport duties and a cargo

Bombardier Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

. *

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

— €4,000,000 were allocated by the German government for the reconstruction effort in Albania. *

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

— Two earthquake expert ΕΜΑΚ (Special Units for Disaster Management) units consisting of 40 members and search and rescue dogs were deployed, along with trucks, and one C-130 airplane with food parcels. In addition, doctors and medicines were sent in order to help and support the civilians. Moreover, three military mobile kitchens together with their personnel were sent. Greece also sent a team of civil engineers to assess damage, and a team of surgeons to operate on the injured. The Greek teams pulled two people alive from the ruins. Greek Red Cross teams assisted with humanitarian needs and issues related to the quake, such as 800 blankets, 800 mattresses, rugs and hundreds of backpacks with various personal items. Furthermore, there were independent initiatives by schools, educational institutes, local governments such as the Municipality of Patras and regional governments such as the Periphery of

Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...

, for additional gathering of emergency aid for Albania. Additional aid was gathered by local associations, such as the "Albanians of Zakynthos Association", in response of the local populations to Leonard Petritaj's pleas. Fans of the Greek football team Iraklis announced that members of their association travelled to Albania with emergency supplies for the earthquake victims. On 3 December 2019, a large-scale initiative named "All Together We Can" was completed successfully, in cooperation with the Periphery of

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

, the Greek Red Cross, and the Albanian Embassy in Athens. The response of the Greek people was "huge" and resulted in the gathering of 250 tons of emergency supplies for the affected in Albania. Prime Minister Rama thanked "the Greek people", expressed admiration for the Greek rescuers, and stated that he hoped "we can be like you one day". *

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

— In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Hungary sent €33,000 worth of aid consisting of self-heating food packages, blankets, camp beds, sleeping beds and tents. Hungary sent a second consignment of similar supplies worth €62,520 to Albania. In early December, a group of seven Hungarian engineers and structural specialists were sent to survey earthquake damaged structures in Albania. Ilir Meta visit to Homefront Command of Israel

Ilir Meta visit to Homefront Command of Israel

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

— Israel sent a search and rescue team from the regional council of Mevo'ot HaHermon to Albania, as well as Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Home Front Command The Home Front Command ( he, פיקוד העורף, ''Pikud HaOref'') is an Israel Defense Forces regional command, created in February 1992 in response to the lessons of the Gulf War, At

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

military base in Israel, he awarded the Albanian Golden Medal of the Eagle to the National Rescue Unit of the IDF. *

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

— Italy sent an

urban search and rescue Urban search and rescue (abbreviated as USAR or US&R) is a type of technical rescue operation that involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in an urban area, namely structural collapse due to natu ...

team from the National Firefighters Corps composed of more than 20 field specialists in search operations, medical assistance, and engineers. Soon afterwards, 200 trained volunteers from the Civil Protection (''

Protezione Civile The (Civil Protection), officially (Civil Protection Department), is the national body in Italy that deals with the prediction, prevention and management of emergency events. It was established in 1992 by , which was updated in 2012, and it is ...

'') were dispatched. The

Catholic Church in Italy , native_name_lang = it , image = San_Giovanni_in_Laterano_-_Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = , caption = Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, the ''cathedra'' seat of the Pop ...

donated €500,000 for relief efforts. Football teams expressed messages of support and in several weekend matches following the earthquake, Italian football fans waved banners with messages of solidarity. *

— Outgoing Prime Minister Haradinaj allocated €500,000 on behalf of the Kosovo government to Albania for humanitarian aid and over €3,500,000 were sent by the Kosovar population. 110 specialised operators of the

Kosovo Police The Kosovo Police ( sq, Policia e Kosovës, sr-Cyrl, Полиција Косова, sr-Latn, Policija Kosova) is the national policing law enforcement agency of Kosovo. History A Kosovo Police Service was created in 1999 in the aftermath o ...

were dispatched, as were 40 members of the

Kosovo Security Force , image = KSF logo.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem , image2 = Flag of the Kosovo Security Force.svg , alt2 = , caption2 = Flag , motto = , founded ...

's (KSF) Urban Search and Rescue Units. The Kosovo Finance Ministry allocated €10,000 to the families of 2 earthquake victims from Gjilan, Kosovo. The municipality of Pristina sent €50,000 in humanitarian aid and engineers to assess damaged buildings. The municipalities of Gjakova sent €14,000, Kaçanik €10,000, Malishevë €5,000,

Klina Klina ( sq-definite, Klinë; Serbian Cyrillic: ) is a town and municipality located in the District of Peja of north-western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Klina has 5,542 inhabitants, while the municipality has 38,496 inhabitan ...

€5,000,

Dragash Dragash or Sharr ( sq-definite, Dragashi or ''Sharri'') or Dragaš ( sr-cyr, Драгаш), is a town and municipality located in the Prizren District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Dragash has 1,098 inhabitants, while the ...

€5,000, Mitrovica €20,000 and

Obiliq Obiliq, ) or Obilić ( sr-cyr, Обилић, ), also referred to as Kastriot ( sq-definite, Kastrioti, ) is a town and municipality in Kosovo. According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) estimate from the 2011 census, there were 21,549 pe ...

sent €15,000 and supplies of packaged food. Skënderaj municipality sent €20,000 and an additional €40,000 was raised from local donations of which €5,000 was allocated to the families of 2 earthquake victims from Kosovo. Gllogoc municipality sent €10,000 and an additional €12,000 was raised from local businesses.

Deçan municipality Deçan Municipality or Dečani Municipality ( sq, Komuna e Deçanit; sr, Општина Дечани, ''Opština Dečani'', ) is a municipality located in the Peja District of Kosovo. The seat is the town of Deçan. According to the 2011 census, ...

fundraised €20,000 from its citizens for relief efforts and sent 6 trucks with clothing and food to Albania. The Trepça and Artana Mines sent rescuers and the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) sent a fire brigade unit. The Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans' Organisation sent €5,000 for humanitarian aid. At an awards ceremony on 4 December in Kosovo, President Meta on behalf of Albania expressed its gratitude and thanked Kosovo for its civilian, business, state and political contributions "to support their Albanian brothers and sisters". Meta awarded all members of the KSF, the

Golden Medal of the Eagle Orders, decorations and medals of Albania are state decorations regulated and bestowed by the Republic of Albania. History The first decoration to be given in modern Albania is considered to be the Order of the Black Eagle, which was granted by th ...

and made the Kosovo Police Special Operations Unit part of the National Flag Order to honour their assistance to the relief effort. Meta also awarded the Particular Civil Merits Medal to the KSF K9 unit, the Artana and Trepça Mine rescue units, the team from the Kosovo Energy Corporation and to a team from the Kosovo Fire Brigade. Haradinaj in turn awarded Meta the Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg Medal and stated that " when we are united, no earthquake can weaken us". * Latvia — €70,000 were allocated by the Latvian government for humanitarian aid to Albania. *

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

— Montenegro sent 18 rescue service specialists.

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; lit. 'under the hill') is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd (Cyrillic: Титоград, ) between 1946 and 1992—in the period that Montenegro form ...

and Bar municipalities each donated 20,000 euros for humanitarian aid. Albanian majority municipalities of Montenegro such as

sent €10,000 and firefighting teams and newly formed

sent €3,000. *

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

— A donation of €100,000 for earthquake relief efforts was made by Nigerian-based businessmen Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara through their company Sterling Oil. *

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

— North Macedonia sent €100,000 in financial aid, as well as drones with thermal cameras to search for survivors under the rubble. Rescue teams were also sent, as well as mechanical equipment to clear the rubble. Albanian majority municipalities of North Macedonia such as

sent humanitarian aid and 500,000 denars, Struga 1,000,000 denars,

Debar Debar ( mk, Дебaр ; Albanian: ''Dibër''/''Dibra'' or ''Dibra e Madhe;'' ) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has ...

300,000 denars, Kičevo €12,000,

Želino Želino ( mk, , sq, Zhelinë) is a village and seat of the municipality of Želino, North Macedonia. History According to the 1467-68 Ottoman defter, Želino appears as being largely inhabited by an Orthodox Christian Albanian population. Due ...

€5,000 and did additional fundraising, Čair sent firefighters and

Gostivar Gostivar ( mk, Гостивар , Albanian and Turkish: ''Gostivar''), is a city in North Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also ...

sent humanitarian aid and teams of firefighters and doctors. Majority Macedonian municipalities with an Albanian minority such as Jegunovce sent €1,500 and Gazi Baba €5,000 for relief efforts. *

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

— At the request of the Albanian government, Poland in late December sent 4 firefighter teams to the country and 500 field beds in earthquake aid. *

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

— Qatar through the

Qatar Fund for Development The Qatar Fund for Development (acronym: QFFD, ar, صندوق قطر للتنمية) is a government entity in the State of Qatar, which is responsible for Qatar's international development and foreign aid; it was established by Law 19 of 2002. ...

(QFFD) and Qatar Charity sent supplies consisting of food, blankets, beds and clothing. *

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

— Romania sent one Alenia C-27 J Spartan airplane and one

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

airplane, one military helicopter, trucks, as well as a RO-USAR team with a total of 52 IGSU firefighters, and SMURD doctors and nurses, plus 12 tons of its own search and rescue materials, including four

search and rescue dog A search-and-rescue dog is one trained to find missing people after a natural or man-made disaster. The dogs detect human scent and have been known to find people under water, under snow, and under collapsed buildings. Applications A dog ...

s accompanied by two specialised volunteers. The Romanian Orthodox Church launched a fundraiser campaign on 26 November. *

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

— The Special Search and Rescue Team, as well as first aid, was sent to Albania. Serbia gave 2 million Euros to Albania. * Switzerland — 15 specialists of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) were sent to support Albanian emergency forces. The Swiss sent 130 beds and 30 tents for people of the Durrës area and 280 beds and 70 tents for the Kurbin region. Switzerland also sent engineers to assess the structural integrity of earthquake affected buildings. *

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

— The day after the earthquake Turkey through its authority for Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) sent one Airbus Atlas airplane with 28 search and rescue personnel, three vehicles, dozens of hygiene kits and tents, and a total of 500 blankets and 500 food packs containing flour, sugar, pasta, oil, rice, beans and other products to the victims of the earthquake. Turkey sent a convey of trucks with additional humanitarian aid consisting of 100 hygiene kits, 120 tents and 2,750 blankets. Fifteen AFAD search and rescue personnel operated in Durrës looking for survivors trapped in rubble. Other Turkish rescue teams such as the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) from the Turkish Ministry of Health provided medical assistance to quake survivors. Turkey used local branches of its aid agency

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency ( tr, Türk İşbirliği ve Koordinasyon İdaresi Başkanlığı, ) is a government department subordinate to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey). Focusing on development cooperation, Tİ ...

(TIKA) in Albania and Kosovo to coordinate distribution and deliver aid. The AFAD and Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) teams erected tents and assisted with other needs and issues related to the quake. The TRC was involved in providing assistance to the earthquake hit town of Vorë and the village of Bubq. TIKA distributed an additional 1,500 food packages and 1,500 blankets in Durrës, Thumanë,

Kavajë Kavajë ( , sq-definite, Kavaja) is a municipality centrally located in the Western Lowlands region of Albania, in Tirana County. It borders Durrës to the north , Tiranë to the east and Rrogozhinë to the south . To the west lies the Adriati ...

and Fushë Krujë to Albanians and members of the Romani minority affected by the earthquake. On 3 December, a supply of tents were delivered by a Turkish airplane for villagers that preferred to remain near their animals and land during the winter. In Kosovo, Turkey's Kosovo Force (KFOR) contingent provided relief efforts of food, clothing and other assistance to 500 displaced people housed in a camp at Prizren. Prime Minister Rama expressed his "gratitude to Turkey and President Erdoğan" and further stated that the "Albanian people will never forget Turkey's help". *

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

— The UAE in its initial assistance sent shelter, food and medical supplies for 555,000 people. The Emirates Red Crescent distributed additional relief assistance from the UAE worth Dh13 million to people impacted by the earthquake. *

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

—

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

personnel from the Civil-Military Support Element, Kosovo, arrived in Albania to support relief efforts. The US sent engineers to assess damaged buildings. USAID provided the Albanian Red Cross with a grant for immediate relief efforts and supplies such as hygiene kits and blankets to displaced people. Due to depleting stocks, the United States European Command (EUCOM) sent additional disaster equipment and other materiel to Albania. Children affected by the earthquake also received psychosocial support services from UNICEF whose funding comes from USAID. Prime Minister Rama regarded the contribution of aid by the US as "positive". The Soros Open Society Foundations through its branch in Albania donated €500,000 for relief efforts. *

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

—

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

made the decision to send a first contribution of €100,000 via the

Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (''Dicasterium ad integram humanam progressionem fovendam'' in Latin) is a dicastery of the Roman curia. The Vatican announced the creation of the dicastery on 31 August 2016 and it becam ...

to support immediate relief efforts.

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* * {{Earthquakes in 2019 2019 earthquakes 2019 in Albania 2019 disasters in Europe Earthquakes in Albania November 2019 events in Europe Events in Durrës County Events in Lezhë County Events in Tirana County Buried rupture earthquakes