The death toll in a devastating earthquake that struck Albania on Tuesday rose to 45, Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.

The Albanian Ministry of Defense said at least 45 people were killed in the aftermath of the earthquake, and the Health Minister said at least 790 people were injured.

Rescuers from Albania, Turkey, Kosovo and other countries continue their search for the missing persons under the ruins in the seaside city of Durres.

After the 6.4-magnitude Richter scale earthquake had struck Albania on Tuesday morning, the government declared a state of natural disaster for the cities of Tirana and Durres.

The authorities placed some 180 tents in Durres and some villages so they could that accommodate some 1,450 people whose homes were devastated.