An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter Scale has left at least 11 people dead, scores more have been injured and are missing.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake hit Albania at a depth of approximately 20 kilometres.
The port city of Durres was the epicentre of the hugely destructive quake.
A spokesperson for the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told CNN that there had been deaths as a result of the earthquake.
The Prime Minister assured the nation that everything was being done by his administration to bring things under control.
"We have victims. We are working to do everything possible in the affected areas, " Prime Minister Edi Rama said according to the BBC.
The government says that more than 300 people have been accorded the necessary medical treatment that they need.
Members of the army and firefighters are involved in the rescue and recovery efforts currently underway.
A man in the affected area said that his daughter and niece were among those trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.
"I talked with my daughter and niece on the phone. They said they are well and waiting for the rescue. Could not talk to my wife. There are other families, but I could not talk to them," the man told channel News24.