• Tweeter
  • republish

A bulldozer in action on a building destroyed by the earthquake in Durres, Albania, on 2 December. REUTERS / Florion Goga

Nearly ten days after the deadly earthquake that hit the country, Albania is counting the damage. Thousands of homes are now uninhabitable and the authorities are destroying hundreds of homes. This is particularly the case in the city of Durrës, a seaside resort today on land, where the inhabitants are in uncertainty.

With our special correspondent in Durres, Louis Seiller

Only a few meters from the large beach of Durres , Lorena watches the movers empty her apartment. His building is cracked in several places. For this young retiree, it's over the seventh floor at the seaside. " We're leaving ! We leave our house because we are afraid, it is dangerous. As God says : I protect you but also pay attention to yourself! "

A little further on a seafront now transformed into a gigantic shipyard, Lufti is waiting in front of his house. This 51-year-old father is worried, his apartment is in a bad state. " In a word, the walls, they exist more, they are destroyed. All the equipment there was inside, they are all destroyed ... Two Greek engineers came, "not habitable" they said. And that's the only answer I got for now. "

The 400 inhabitants of this ten-storey residence have almost all left but Lufti has remained. It has been more than a week since he slept in his car parked on the beach. " I'm in my car, I have nowhere else to go! Money I do not have any. At the town hall, I was told to stay there, in my car, that's what the town hall says to me! "

Sitting at the door of a building officially forbidden access, Etleva has the head in his hands. This mother refused to be relocated to the hotel. The passage of a team of Italian experts in her apartment did not reassure her. " They did not decide for our building, and now we locals do not know what to do. Nothing. We are terrified, we have more house .. "

Murderer, the earthquake of November 26 has done many damage. Throughout the region, hundreds of homes are uninhabitable. For the city of Durres alone, the authorities announced the destruction of nearly 300 homes.