TIRANA (REUTERS) - Six earthquakes in the space of two hours, the first with a magnitude of 5.3, shook south-eastern Albania on Saturday (June 1), injuring five people and causing damage to five houses, the Defence Ministry and local media reported.

Five people were hurt when a house collapsed, one local media outlet reported, while Albanian authorities said they were monitoring the situation after the quake and aftershocks.

"No extraordinary situation has been reported in any district of the country," Albania's Defence Ministry said.

The first earthquake had its epicentre 15km south-east of the town of Korce at a depth of 14km and was followed by another seven minutes later at a depth of 18km in an area bordering Greece and North Macedonia.

Lower intensity tremors continued in Korce and the southern area of Gjirokaster, on the border with northern Greece. </s> A man walks outside a damaged building after an earthquake stroked the area in Floq, Albania, June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Florion Goga

FLOQ, Albania (Reuters) - Six earthquakes in the space of two hours, the first with a magnitude of 5.3, shook south-eastern Albania on Saturday, injuring four people and causing damage to 100 houses, authorities and eyewitnesses said.

Four people were hurt from the collapse of the walls, roofs and plaster of their houses, and were taken to hospital in the region’s main town of Korce in eastern Albania, the Defence Ministry said.

“It was 06:30 when I went out to milk the cows when the earthquake struck. I woke up the children and the adults and we ran outside, all of us,” Petrit, 60, told Reuters in the village of Floq, the epicenter of the earthquakes.

The roof of Petrit’s house had collapsed over two rooms. Some 70 houses were damaged in Floq and the nearby village of Dvoran, the Defence Ministry said.

Half of the 100 damaged house were abandoned old structures, the Defence Ministry said. Soldiers were pitching military tents in Floq and firefighters were also there.

Fifty families in the mostly-damaged neighborhood of Floq had abandoned their houses for fear of other quakes, finding shelter either in the military tents or with relatives, the villagers said.

The first earthquake had its epicenter 15 km southeast of the town of Korce at a depth of 14 km and was followed by another seven minutes later at a depth of 18 km in an area bordering Greece and North Macedonia.

Lower intensity tremors continued in Korce and the southern area of Gjirokaster, on the border with northern Greece. </s> TIRANA, Albania - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck rural areas in Albania southeast of the capital, injuring four people and damaging about 100 houses, authorities said Saturday.

The Defence Ministry reported preliminary evidence of four people injured from falling walls at their houses. It added that about 100 houses, more than half of them long uninhabited, were damaged.

A statement said those hurt were sent to the local hospital to be treated for slight injuries.

The Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment says the quake occurred at 4:26 GMT (0626 local time) Saturday and affected the Korca district, 180 kilometres (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.

Emergency authorities have set up tents for locals and have send food and drinking water. </s> TIRANA, Albania — Albanian authorities say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 has struck rural areas southeast of the capital, damaging some houses.

Local media reported that two people were injured. The Defence Ministry reported preliminary evidence of at least five damaged houses but did not confirm the injuries.

The Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment says the quake occurred at 4:26 GMT (0626 local time) Saturday and affected the Korca district, 180 kilometres (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.

Albania is part of an earthquake-prone area, registering quakes every few days, though most are not felt. </s> Four people were hurt from the collapse of the walls, roofs and plaster of their houses, and were taken to hospital in the region's main town of Korce in eastern Albania, the Defence Ministry said.

"It was 06:30 when I went out to milk the cows when the earthquake struck. I woke up the children and the adults and we ran outside, all of us," Petrit, 60, told Reuters in the village of Floq, the epicentre of the earthquakes.

The roof of Petrit's house had collapsed over two rooms. Some 70 houses were damaged in Floq and the nearby village of Dvoran, the Defence Ministry said.

Half of the 100 damaged house were abandoned old structures, the Defence Ministry said. Soldiers were pitching military tents in Floq and firefighters were also there.

Fifty families in the mostly-damaged neighbourhood of Floq had abandoned their houses for fear of other quakes, finding shelter either in the military tents or with relatives, the villagers said.

The first earthquake had its epicentre 15 km southeast of the town of Korce at a depth of 14 km and was followed by another seven minutes later at a depth of 18 km in an area bordering Greece and North Macedonia.

Lower intensity tremors continued in Korce and the southern area of Gjirokaster, on the border with northern Greece. </s> TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck rural areas in Albania early Saturday southeast of Tirana, the capital, injuring four people and damaging about 100 houses, authorities said.

The Defense Ministry reported that four people were injured from falling walls at their homes and about 100 houses, many uninhabited, were damaged. The injured were sent to a local hospital.

Albania’s Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment says the quake occurred at 6:26 a.m. Saturday and affected the Korca district, 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.

Emergency authorities have set up tents for residents whose homes have been damaged and have sent food and drinking water.

Located mostly along the Adriatic Sea, Albania is part of an earthquake-prone area, registering quakes every few days, though most are not felt. </s> A 5.3-magnitude quake in Saturday injured four people and damaged houses, local officials said.

said four people were hurt in Floq, 15 kilometres southeast of the city of Korca, which lies 180 kilometres southeast of the capital Tirana.

Officials in said the quake had damaged around 60 houses.

According to Albania's Institute of Geosciences, it struck at 6:26 am (0426 GMT) and was followed by seven weaker aftershocks. </s> KOS, Greece (AP) — Rescuers are checking for trapped people inside houses on the Greek island of Kos after a powerful earthquake struck the area in the early hours of July 21.

Authorities have confirmed two deaths and more than 100 people are injured. The epicenter of the 6.7-magnitude quake early Friday morning was between Kos and Bodrum, Turkey.

Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told local state radio the main town sustained damage but the rest of the island appeared to have no problems. “The rest of the island has no problem. It’s only the main town that has a problem,” Mayor Kyritsis told state-run Greek media. “The buildings affected were mostly old and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced,” the Associated Press reported.

The coast guard also announced the island’s port was damaged in the quake and that a ferry en route there was not docking.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100. “Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery,” he said.

He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos’s main port, where the 14th-century fortress also sustained damage. A minaret from the old mosque in the main town was also damaged.

The fire department separately said three injured people had been rescued from rubble on Kos.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 6.7, and said its epicenter was 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles (16 kilometers) east-northeast of Kos about 1:30 AM. It said it had a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers). Two strong aftershocks followed.

The quake also caused a small tsunami, the BBC reported, which caused some flooding in Kos town and Bodrum.

According to Turkish disaster officials, the earthquake at 01:31 local (10:31 GMT) had a magnitude of 6.3, and was felt in Turkey’s western coast, causing panic. More than twenty aftershocks have been recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said “there were minor injuries due to fear and panic.”

In Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometers (4 miles) west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Two strong aftershocks followed. Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds, according to an AP reporter on the scene.

Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone. </s> A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands early on Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port, killing at least two people and causing more than 100 injuries.

The island of Kos was nearest to the epicentre and appeared to be the worst-hit, with two deaths and structural damage to older buildings.

Damage - cracks in buildings, smashed windows and wrecked shops - appeared widespread, according to city officials.

"The rest of the island has no problem. It's only the main town that has a problem," Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media.

"The buildings affected were mostly old, and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced."

Rescuers were checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night.

Mr Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services.

The island's port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100.

"Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery," he said.

He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos's main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude.

It was centred six miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles east-northeast of Kos with a depth of six miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkish disaster officials said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments.

She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic".

In Bitez, a resort town about four miles west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds.

Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone.
Six earthquakes, the first 5.3 Mw, in a two-hour period near Korçë in southeastern Albania injure four people and damage around 100 houses.