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Sunday 5 December 2010

Flooding forces evacuations in Albania

By the CNN Wire Staff
December 5, 2010 -- Updated 0640 GMT (1440 HKT)
A man rides his bicycle in Shkodra district, some 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Tirana, on Wednesday.
A man rides his bicycle in Shkodra district, some 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Tirana, on Wednesday.

(CNN) -- Torrential rains have forced the evacuation of more than 1,100 people from their homes in parts of Albania as floodwaters wash over roads and cause massive landslides, the country's government said.

Officials have declared a state of emergency in several areas as rains triggered massive floods, Albania's official ATA news agency said Saturday.

The news agency described the situation as "critical," with many major national roads impassable. Troops and police were assisting in rescue efforts, ATA said.

Earlier in the week, Albania's defense ministry said 1,146 people had been evacuated due to flooding.

Residents in at least one neighborhood in the northwestern city of Shkodra were forced to use boats to travel, ATA said.

Alban Thika, who took pictures from a rescue helicopter used to distribute food to isolated homes, told CNN's iReport that nearly a quarter of the city had flooded after three weeks of heavy rains.

"If you look through the pictures, you would think there is a sea, but it's all land covered with water," he said.

Albania has asked for assistance from NATO, Thika said, but more aid is needed.

"These people are all stranded. They're getting very little help," he said.

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