Under the rubble after the earthquake, the Albanian mother begged for help and the heartbreaking truth

A distressed woman repeatedly tells rescuers to “let me die” after she was discovered under the rubble caused by the strongest earthquake in more than three decades in Albania, which killed 700 people. casualties.

Diena and daughter Esiel

The Sun newspaper on November 28 reported that Diena Mecaj Karanxhaj, 30, was found trapped in the rubble of a house in the port city of Durrës, western Albania.

Rescuers were extremely bewildered when Diena repeatedly begged to die. “Don’t get me out of here, I want to die,” the woman said.

After looking closely, rescuers discovered Diena hugging a little girl, who was later identified as Esiel, Diena’s 9-year-old daughter. Esiel had been dead for 12 hours before rescuers discovered her mother. Diena appeared depressed and vowed to die with her daughter. The woman was taken to the emergency room but died on the way to the hospital from bleeding.

Diena’s husband died in 2015 after a stroke and the woman did not remarry but became a single mother.

“I never thought I would cry in pain like today before the loss of mother and daughter,” a friend of Diena wrote goodbye to the mother and daughter on Instagram.

Rescuers remove the body of a 5-year-old girl from the rubble

Devastation left by the strongest earthquake to hit Albania in more than 30 years

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the port city of Durrës, Albania on the morning of November 26, killing at least 40 people, according to the latest statistics from CNN on November 28. Meanwhile, the DW newspaper reported that more than 650 people were injured and many more were buried under the rubble. The number of casualties is expected to rise. Many houses, works and roads were severely damaged.

The Albanian Defense Ministry confirmed that this was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in more than 30 years.

Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, said rescuers would “continue to search until all the people trapped in the rubble are rescued” and those who lost their homes in the earthquake will be accommodated in guests. hotels until the government rebuilds them a new home.