29 November 2019
Newsdesk
Rita Ora and Bebe Rexha have both pledged to support Albania in any way they can following an earthquake in the country which claimed the lives of 40 people.
The quake measured 6.4 on the Richter scale and struck near Tirana, the country's capital. So far, the death toll from the natural disaster stands at 40, while more than 600 people have been injured.
Following the earthquake, Albania-born Rita, who is currently in Tirana, took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message to those affected, writing: "'Happy Flag Day #Albania!!! I have been spending my birthday and the last couple of days thinking about what the right thing to do is.
"Along with @erionveliaj, we have decided to choose a family to sponsor to rebuild their home during the devastation of the earthquakes in Albania and myself directly help these families as much as I can!"
She continued to urge her followers to help, adding: "I suggest that who ever can, please find a family or charity or way to help rebuild the homes of the victims of this disaster. The first family that i have chosen is the Sala family, and we will be following the progress of this and so many more families who need the same help."
Meanwhile, Bebe, who has Albanian parents, shared a video on her Instagram page in which she said: "Hey everyone, it's Bebe and I'm here on the Jonas Brothers tour and I got the terrible news that there was an earthquake in Albania and a lot of you guys may know that my family and I are Albanian so I decided to start a GoFundMe account to help all those people that are in need.
"And I will personally jump off the tour in my two days off, fly to Albania and personally give people food and water and helping to rebuild their houses so I will be making sure the money goes to good use."
Rita moved to England from Kosovo (then Yugoslavia) when she was just a year old, while Bebe was born in New York but considers herself Albanian.
