Some six people died and another 420 were dealt injuries, described mostly as minor, in the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that shook Algeria's capital and surrounding areas on Friday, authorities revealed.
Most of the fatalities are not direct victims of the natural disaster, as two died as a result of a heart attack, and four committed suicide out of fear and panic, Health Minister Abdelmalek Boudiaf told reporters at a hospital where some of the wounded were being treated.
The earthquake was regarded of "medium intensity" by a local seismologist, who added that its epicentre was recorded 19km east of the capital, Algiers.