Croatian Port Jolted By Earthquake

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 shook the southern Adriatic port of Dubrovnik early Friday, damaging dozens of houses in the medieval old town, local authorities said.

Five houses in the walled city center suffered significant damage, and officials feared two might cave in, said Vjekoslav Vierde of the Dubrovnik Reconstruction Agency.

The earthquake hit the southern Croatian coastline just before 1 a.m., with the epicenter at Dubrovnik, 240 miles southeast of the capital of Zagreb, the agency reported.

No casualties were reported.

Dubrovnik is famous for its well-preserved historical monuments, including four towers overlooking the port dating back to the 16th century.

The Old Town was damaged in the 1991 Serb-Croat war, when the Serb-led Yugoslav army laid a nine-month siege to Dubrovnik before withdrawing from Croatia in 1992.