Albania quake toll rises

Emergency workers in Albania on Wednesday used drones and dogs to keep searching for survivors in the rubble left by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. The death toll rose to 26, with 20 people still missing. The Balkan nation recorded at least 250 aftershocks since the Tuesday morning quake, which struck 19 miles northwest of the capital city of Tirana.

How extensive is the damage? Hundreds of people lost their homes and spent Tuesday night in tents set up by emergency crews. The government declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the country would temporarily house those affected by the disaster in hotels. “I believe we shall put them in new houses within 2020, in better housing than they had,” he said.

Dig deeper: Read WORLD editor in chief Marvin Olasky’s 2014 reporting on the harmful effects of Western policy in the Balkans.