A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday for the construction of 522 residences by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI) in the Albanian town of Lac. Residences will be allotted to people who lost their homes in two earthquakes in September and November 2019.
“They will be a new symbol of Turkish-Albanian friendship,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said via video link to the ceremony in Albania, which was attended in person by Minister of Environment and Urban Development Murat Kurum and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The project, which will cost around 42 million euros ($51 million), also includes 37 commercial units and a parking garage for 375 vehicles.
Fifty-one people died and more than 900 people were injured in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in November 2019. It was preceded by an earthquake of lesser magnitude in September. The town of Lac was among the most affected areas, where most of the houses were heavily damaged.
