Albania facing massive flooding, hundreds evacuated

By:Xinhua
update:December 05,2017

TIRANA, Dec.5,2017-- Heavy rainfall and storms that swept Albania in the last two days have caused massive flooding across the country with authorities informing Friday that hundreds of citizens were evacuated.

A significant number of houses and businesses currently are under water while dozens of vehicles have been blocked in different road axes after being flooded.

The Albanian Armed Forces and State Police have been deployed to help citizens cope with the floods.

The situation is more serious in the region of Shkodra (northern Albania), Fier, Vlora and Gjirokastra (southern Albania) and several neighborhoods of the capital.

Two electricians lost their lives late Thursday as a result of an electric shock at the power stations they were working.

Several businesses across Tirana-Durres highway were completely flooded. Albanian Minister of Interior Fatmir Xhafaj on Friday visited this zone and pledged full support to help them rebuild.

Hundreds of hectares of agricultural land may also have been flooded, causing problems for farmers.

Forecasts indicate a deterioration of weather conditions in the coming days.