Belgrade: An earthquake struck Serbia early
on Wednesday, killing two people, wounding dozens and inflicting
substantial damage on the city of Kraljevo where electricity
and other services were cut, reports said.
The 5.6-magnitude quake hit at 1:56 am with its epicentre
10 kilometres north of Kraljevo in the centre of the country,
the Serbian seismological institute said.
"Two people lost their lives at Grdica, close to
Kraljevo, in the earthquake during the night," Interior
Minister Ivica Dacic said, quoted by the Tanjug news agency.
B92 television reported that emergency services in
Kraljevo treated dozens of wounded.
The city was badly damaged, Tanjug said. It was plunged
into darkness as power was cut while phone lines and water
supply were also severed.
The quake was felt across the country, including the
capital Belgrade about 150 kilometres north of Kraljevo.
The US Geological Survey measured it with a magnitude of
5.3 at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
It was followed by four other less powerful aftershocks,
the Serbian institute said.
PTI
