5.3 magnitude earthquake injures 28 people in Algeria’s Medea

May 2016 – AFRICA – At least 28 people were injured; including three who were left in a serious condition following a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Algeria’s province of Medea on Sunday. Algeria’s press agency said the three suffered from fractures of the lower limbs and were evacuated to Mohamed Boudiaf hospital in Medea.

The quake, which occurred some minutes before 1 am, was located 10 km northeast of Mihoub, said the same source. The US Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center said the epicenter was located 19 kilometers southwest of the city of Lakhdaria, and 56 kilometers southeast of the Algerian capital, Algiers. The center lies at a depth of 7.5 miles.

The Mediterranean region, to which Algeria belongs, has been seismically active for decades, with a number of earthquakes having resulted in tsunamis. The North African nation experienced one of its deadliest earthquake in 2003 that struck the capital and nearby towns, killing more than 530 people and injuring nearly 5,000 others. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake also struck the region in May 0f 2013, injuring eight people. –Africa News

Fiji rocked by moderate quake: An undersea earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude on the Richter scale hit waters off Fiji on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The epicenter of the quake which struck from a depth of 572.1 km was traced 19 km south of Fiji`s Ndoi island, or 362 km west of Nuku`alofa, capital of Tonga, according to the USGS. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a tsunami warning based on the quake, Xinhua news agency reported. There were no immediate report of casualty or damage. –Z News