5.1-magnitude quake shakes northern Algeria, 11 injured

An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale on Wednesday hit Algeria's northern province of Blida, some 45 km south of capital Algiers, injuring 11 people, official APS news agency reported. The vibration of the quake was felt in Algiers and Blida's adjacent provinces, as many people left their homes to take shelter in the streets. The epicenter located in the locality of Hammam Melouene in Blida, the Algerian Astronomy, Astrophysics and Geophysics Research Center said. The northern region of Algeria was hit by a quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale on May 23, 2003, leaving more than 3,000 people killed.