PODGORICA, Montenegro, March 14, 2024 (AFP) – A 5.4 magnitude quake struck the border region between Montenegro and Bosnia early on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The quake’s epicentre was around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the town of Niksic in western Montenegro, and 25 kilometres from the Bosnian town of Bileca.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The tremor had a depth of about 7.6 kilometres and was felt as far away as the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) away.
“The epicentre of this quake was in a non-populated region” Srdjan Cekvic, a seismologist with the Montenegro Geophysics Institute, told reporters, adding that there were no reports of victims or damage for the moment.
“After the main tremor at 4:06 am, thirty others were recorded, with five with a magnitude between three and 3.5,” he said.
The Balkans is an area of high seismic activity and prone to earthquakes.
A 5.7 magnitude quake struck the same region in April 2022, killing one person and injuring several others in Stolac, Bosnia.
In December 2020, a major earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 hit central Croatia, killing seven people and destroying hundreds of buildings and homes.
In March that same year, the Croatian capital Zagreb was hit by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that caused extensive damage.
And in Albania, which borders Montenegro, more than 50 people were killed in a 2019 6.4 magnitude earthquake that also left thousands homeless.
