A strong earthquake hit Argentina early Saturday, causing damage to buildings but no casualties, the country's seismological bureau said.

The focus of the quake, measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, hit at 11:03 local time (1403 GMT) and is located 27 km south-southeast of Mendoza, Argentina and 190 km east-northeast of Santiago, Chile, the bureau said.

The quake shattered some windows and left cracks on buildings, causing panic among local residents. Some people were evacuated to shelters offered by the government, the bureau said.

A quake measuring six on the Richter scale rattled the same area in Aug. 1985, causing some 12,500 houses to collapse and killing six people.

Source: Xinhua