Turkish Red Crescent helps Albanian quake victims

By Dzihat Aliju and Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The Turkish Red Crescent provided victims of a deadly earthquake with tents, food and hygiene materials Thursday.

Residents of Peza village in Durres have been living in makeshift barracks in their own gardens since the 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Adriatic coastal city Nov. 26 and killed 51 people and injured more than 900.

Aftershocks of 5.6-magnitude and another measuring 4.9 hit Albania three days consecutively.

Naim Hakrama, who informed Turkish Red Crescent officials about the situation, said that his two children, aged 6 and 3, have lost their ability to talk after the earthquake.

He said his family does not have any source of income and they lack basic needs such as electricity and tap water.

Turkey's state aid agency, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), also delivered 500 food packages and 500 blankets to quake victims last week.

The aid was reportedly the first to arrive from any country since the quake.

A second Turkish airplane carrying aid to victims also arrived Tuesday in the Albanian capital, Tirana.