Swiss rescue team sent to Albanian earthquake disaster
Several nations have sent rescue teams to Albania following a devastating earthquake.
Keystone / Malton Dibra
Switzerland has sent 15 specialist rescue personnel to help Albania deal with the aftermath of a large earthquake. Some 26 people have so far been confirmed killed and around 650 injured by the quake that struck in the early hours of Tuesday near the Albanian port city of Durres.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
“The approximately 15 specialists of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) will support the Albanian emergency forces in the search for and rescue of buried victims, checking the structural statics of the buildings affected and clarifying humanitarian needs,” read a Swiss statementExternal link.
“The team will also prepare further aid support and initiate concrete emergency measures,” it added.
The Swiss contingent will join rescue teams from Italy, Greece, Romania, Kosovo and Montenegro.
The 6.4 magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was just 30 kilometres west of the capital Tirana, is the largest to have hit Albania in decades. This affected region had already been affected by several smaller earthquakes in September.
Hundreds of survivors had to spend the night in tents or sleeping in cars as the earthquake demolished houses and made parts of the towns of Durres and Thumane unstable.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
This content was published on
The UN Human Rights Council approved the launch of this mechanism in Geneva on Friday, to be followed by an International Commission of Inquiry.
More than 100 wolves shot in Switzerland last year
This content was published on
Swiss hunters legally killed 101 wolves between February 1, 2024, and the end of January 2025. A further six died in accidents or from natural causes.
Swiss health office turns to Bluesky against backdrop of US censorship
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has joined the Bluesky social network, while US President Donald Trump works with X owner Elon Musk to censor content on official US websites.
Biotech company BioVersys is first Swiss IPO of 2025
This content was published on
The Basel-based biotech company BioVersys made the first initial public offering (IPO) of the year in Switzerland on Friday.
Much more spent on Swiss motorway vote campaigns than budgeted
This content was published on
Opponents and supporters of motorway expansion spent over CHF10 million ($11 million) on their campaigns, around a third more than announced in November.
Swiss researchers monitor animal populations with AI microphone
This content was published on
Researchers in Lausanne are using an intelligent microphone to make the animal world audible. The microphone automatically records animal sounds over large areas and analyses them using AI.
Three employees of Swiss aid organisation killed in DRC
This content was published on
Three employees of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church (Heks) have been killed in an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were on a humanitarian mission in the crisis region.
This content was published on
All our waters today are pure at source," Muriel Lienau, general manager of Nestlé Waters, told AFP after press revelations.
Switzerland concerned about impact of US withdrawal from WHO
This content was published on
Switzerland has expressed concern about the loss of American experts and the freezing of contracts due to the announced withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss aid experts to leave for quake-hit Indonesia
This content was published on
Switzerland’s offer of humanitarian aid for victims of Indonesia's deadly earthquake and tsunami has been accepted by the Indonesian authorities.
Switzerland sends humanitarian supplies to Ukraine conflict zone
This content was published on
Between April 2015 and October 2018, Switzerland shipped 9,500 tons of relief supplies to the eastern European country, the Swiss government said in a statementExternal link. The Swiss Humanitarian Aid unitExternal link, which is part of the Swiss Agency for Development and CooperationExternal link (SDC), has dispatched a total of 130 lorries carrying 2,500 tons…
Decades after war, Kosovo shapes up with Swiss support
This content was published on
Twenty years after the end of the war in Kosovo, the young republic still faces serious challenges, but there are many signs of progress.
Seven small earthquakes shake southwest Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland was hit by seven small earthquakes early on Tuesday morning in the high mountain region between cantons Bern and Valais.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.