AP reports from Tirana that Albania’s prime minister on Monday hailed the work of Israeli engineers who have come to the country to help in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that destroyed thousands of buildings. The Israelis are among scores of foreign engineers and experts who have come or will be headed to the country to assist determine whether buildings left standing can still be inhabited or to help construct buildings to replace those that were destroyed. On Sunday, Rama was in Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish and Arab businessmen to solicit help. Turkish engineers are already in Albania to prepare for the construction of 500 homes. Other countries sending engineers include Greece, Italy, the United States, France, Bulgaria, and Romania. The 6.4-magnitude earthquake on November 26 killed 51 people and injured more than 3,000 others. More than 11,000 buildings were damaged and an estimated 13,000 people made homeless. Many have found shelter in hotels, public buildings, tents, with relatives or in neighboring Kosovo. The government said Monday that out of roughly 6,000 buildings checked with scores of structural engineers, some 2,450 could not be used for living or working and 460 had to be demolished. Forty-three buildings already have been demolished. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Marmelad Let's block ads! (Why?)