Tremors rattle southeast Albania, damaging houses

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 Defense 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 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.

Albania is part of an earthquake-prone area, registering quakes every few days, though most are not felt.