Earthquake hits Macedonia capital Skopje

The new Zambian head of state President Edgar Lungu attends the opening ceremony of the 24th Ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 30, 2015. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

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 10km (7 miles) at 1310 GMT, 2km northeast of Skopje, according to the U.S. 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 Reuters witness. The earthquake could be felt in neighboring 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.