4 injured after 5.5-magnitude quake hits off Algeria's Bejaia

Four people were injured after an earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale hit off Algeria's northern coastal province of Bejaia on Sunday morning, a local media source told Xinhua. The earthquake which took place at 10:07 a.m. (0907 GMT) on Sunday, and the epicenter was in the sea -- some 20 km northeast of downtown Bejaia, the capital of Bejaia province and a Mediterranean port city, according to a statement issued by the Astronomy, Astrophysics and Geophysics Research Center. Cracks in some old buildings and public offices in Bejaia and nearby Aokas were caused, the source at the local Soummam radio told Xinhua. The quake triggered panic among the population of Bejaia and the neighboring provinces of Setif, Bordj Bou Arreridj and Tizi Ouzou.