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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, May 23, 2003

Quake Toll in Algeria Hits 1,092

At least 1,092 people have died since an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale hit the Algerian capital of Algiers Wednesday night, Algerian state radio reported.


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At least 1,092 people have died since an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale hit the Algerian capital of Algiers Wednesday night, Algerian state radio reported. The radio also said 1,620 people were injured and hundreds of others missing in Algeria's worst jolt in the past two decades.

Authorities "have not finished establishing these increasingly tragic figures," Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia told reporters on a separate occasion, adding "there are still many under the rubble." Rescuers were busy working in search of survivors from under debris in the capital city, where dozens of buildings were damaged including a national sports training centre. Reghaia, a town situated east of the capital, was among the worst hit in the quake with a seven-storey block crumbling and more than 300 occupants reported missing.

The quake occurred around 7:44 p.m. (1844 GMT) Wednesday, with its epicenter located about 70 km east of Algiers and 10 km below ground, according to the US Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center. The North African country last saw the deadliest quake in October 1980, when nearly 5,000 people were killed in a twin temblors west of the capital.


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