UNMIK/PR/724
SRSG Michael Steiner today visited central Gnjilan/Gnjilane and nearby villages affected by the 24 April earthquake in which one man was killed and dozens injured.
“Earthquakes do not respect ethnic divisions. They have affected both communities,” the SRSG said, citing a remark by the head of the emergency committee in the Serb-inhabited village of Gornja Budriga.
The SRSG met members of the Gnjilan municipal crisis committee and visited Gornja Budriga and the Albanian-inhabited village of Zhegra, two of 17 villages that suffered serious material damage from last week’s quake.
The earthquake, which registered 5.6 on the Richter scale, has been followed by a series of aftershocks. SRSG Michael Steiner said he would send seismological experts to the area to explain the phenomenon and address peoples’ concerns about further earthquakes.
He also pledged that UNMIK would provide engineers to assess the structural damage and assist local experts in their work. Most affected were the Gnjilan municipal building, the TMK building, LDK building, regional hospital and several schools in addition to housing.
SRSG Michael Steiner announced the establishment of a special earthquake relief fund, to which UNMIK will contribute 500,000 euro, in order to help the communities rebuild.
He noted with pleasure the good cooperation between international and local emergency services in the aftermath of the earthquake. In particular, he said, the Kosovo Protection Corps (TMK) had performed commendably in carrying out the job they were established and trained to do as a civilian emergency response agency.
The SRSG urged all those whose houses were habitable to return home, so that the delivery of aid could concentrate on the neediest earthquake victims.
