Romanian cities shaken by quake
BUCHAREST, Romania – A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 shook Romania late Wednesday, Romania’s Earth Physics Institute said. Authorities said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The quake was centered in Vrancea, 110 miles northeast of Bucharest on the eastern rim of the Carpathian Mountains, the center said. It struck at 11:34 p.m. and was felt in several Romanian cities, including Iasi, Bacau and the capital, Bucharest, where it knocked out telephone service.
The quake also rattled portions of Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine, Turkey’s private NTV television reported.
The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory’s seismology center said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.5. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy between that higher initial reading and the Romanian measurement.
In some Istanbul neighborhoods, people rushed out of their homes in panic, NTV said. The observatory’s telephone lines were jammed with people seeking information.