5.8 earthquake rattles Romania, felt in Ukraine, elsewhere

BUCHAREST, Romania – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 rattled central and eastern Romania early Sunday and was also felt in Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria. No significant damage was reported.

The temblor, which lasted for several seconds, occurred at 3:38 a.m. Sunday in the eastern quake-prone region of Vrancea at a depth of 150 kilometres (94 miles), Romania’s National Earth Physics Institute said.

The quake woke residents in the capital, Bucharest, and elsewhere. Bucharest Ambulance Service spokeswoman Alice Grasu said a dozen or so residents telephoned immediately after the quake suffering from panic attacks.

Electricity was temporarily downed in an area near the epicenter northeast of Bucharest. There were reports of pictures and plaster falling off walls in the capital.

Seismologists said that no aftershocks are expected.