BUCHAREST, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Romania's eastern county of Buzau on Wednesday evening, after one of 4.3 magnitude hit the nearby area earlier, the National Institute for Earth Physics announced.
The latest was the strongest earthquake of the year. It was followed by aftershocks struck of 3 on the Richter scale several minutes later.
The quake was strongly felt in the capital city of Bucharest and many other cities in Romania, as well as in the neighboring Republic of Moldova.
There are no reports of casualties, injuries or major material damage so far.
The epicenter of the 5-magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 120 km, was determined to be near Nehoiu, some 120 km northeast of Bucharest.
Frequent earthquakes have occurred in Romania recently, with over 35 felt earthquakes reported since the beginning of the year. Most of the quakes occurred in Vrancea seismic zone.
The Vrancea seismic zone, including the counties of Vrancea and Buzau, as well as surrounding mountains, is one of the most active seismic areas in Europe. It is known for its intermediate-depth (70-200 km) earthquakes, which can reach a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.8.
In March 1977, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed around 1,600 people in Romania and damaged some 8,500 buildings.
