A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Albania on Wednesday, the second quake in only two days.

Axar.az reports citing Turkish media.

The tremor's epicenter was under the Adriatic Sea, said Albania's Institute for Earth Sciences, Energy, Water, and the Environment.

Due to the new quake, the Defense Ministry said search and rescue operations in buildings demolished by Tuesday's quake were stopped until further notice for security reasons.

At least 27 people lost their lives in Tuesday's 5.6 tremor. The Health Ministry also said that 658 people had been injured.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also declared the beginning of national mourning across the country and a 30-day state of emergency in the earthquake-affected cities of Durres and Tirana, the capital.