(ANSA-AP) - TIRANA, 26 NOV - Albania's defense minister says the death toll from a strong earthquake that struck before dawn has risen to seven. Olta Xhacka said Tuesday that the latest victim died in an accident on a road cut off by debris in northwestern Lezha.

Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu said some 300 injured people have already been treated in Durres, Tirana and Thumane, with more arriving. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.4 quake at 3:57 a.m. was centered 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said Tuesday that all government agencies are "intensively working to save lives at the fatal spots in Durres and Thumane." "It is a dramatic moment where we should preserve calmness, stay alongside each other to cope with this shock," Rama wrote on his Facebook page. President Ilir Meta called on the Cabinet to ask for international assistance and called for solidarity with the affected population. Edi Rama said he had phone calls from his Italian, Greek and Turkish counterparts and also the EU and U.S. embassies in Tirana. (ANSA-AP).