Macedonia hit by earthquake of magnitude 5.3

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck close to Macedonia's capital Skopje on Sunday but there were no reports of injuries or major property damage. The quake took place at a depth of 10 km (7 miles) at 1310 GMT, 2 km northeast of Skopje, according to the US Geological Service. Witnesses said windows shattered and some cracks had appeared on walls in the capital, which sits on a fault line, and there was panic among residents.

Neither the police nor local media had any reports of injuries or major damage. "People ran out on to the street in a panic," said a witness. The earthquake could be felt in neighbouring Kosovo. Skopje was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1963 which killed over 1,000 people in one of Europe's worst-ever natural disasters.