TIRANA, Albania — The European Commission said Saturday that member states have agreed to hold a donors’ conference in January in Albania to help the Balkan country rebuild after an earthquake killed 51 people last month. The commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, offered the bloc’s commitment to the “long period of reconstruction." The 6.4-magnitude quake left more than 13,000 people homeless and damaged more than 14,000 buildings. Scores of structural engineers are determining which buildings can still be inhabited. Albania has asked for international financial assistance for reconstruction that it has pledged to complete by the end of 2020.

Source: International New York Times December 14, 2019 16:30 UTC