5.8-magnitude quake strikes Bulgaria

PanARMENIAN.Net - A 5.8-magnitude quake struck Bulgaria early Tuesday, May 22, triggering panic among local residents who ran into the streets in their pajamas, and some minor damage, but no casualties were reported, according to AFP.

The quake jolted the town of Pernik, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the capital Sofia, causing some tall buildings to sway, and was followed by about 15 lighter aftershocks, local seismologists said.

Residents of tall apartment buildings in the capital said objects crashed to the ground during the tremor which lasted several minutes, and there were reports of chimneys being toppled and windows smashed.

"Everything was shaking like crazy. I ran out shouting... I won't go back home today," teenager Maria told AFP outside her apartment building in a western Sofia neighborhood.

A crisis unit has been set up in Pernik, the epicenter of the shallow tremor, and police and firefighters were dispatched to the region, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told Focus press agency.

"So far, there are no (known) casualties or injuries, which is good news," Tsvetanov said.