It was supposed to be a national day of celebration, but Thursday instead saw Albanians recovering bodies from rubble or burying their loved ones.
ADVERTISEMENTIt was supposed to be a national day of celebration marking independence, but Thursday instead saw thousands of Albanians searching through rubble for survivors of the deadly earthquake.
Thousands have been left homeless by the quake, the country's worst in decades. While authorities have promised to rebuild and provide shelter, many survivors are still sleeping in tents and gyms, or in their vehicles.
Yet another aftershock rattled the coastal city of Durres on Thursday, sending mourners rushing from a theatre where they had gathered for the funeral of four family members.
Albanians traditionally mark the anniversary of their November 28, 1912 declaration of independence with a profusion of national flags.
In Durres on Thursday, rescue workers planted a single flag atop the rubble of a collapsed hotel as the overall death toll climbed to 41.
More bodies were pulled from the debris, aided by sniffer dogs, but hopes of finding survivors faded.