Between 04:58 UTC on September 11 and 12:19 UTC on September 12, EMSC registered a total of 11 shallow earthquakes under Macedonia's capital Skopje. The strongest was mb5.2 at 13:10 UTC on September 11, 2016.

More than 100 people have been injured and sought medical assistance. Most were injured while trying to leave their homes in panic. According to the MIA news agency, three people have been hospitalized, including a woman who fell off the first-floor terrace. Some of those who have been injured "admitted this would not have happened had they not panicked," Serbian B92 reported.

In 1963, a M w 6.1 earthquake hit Skopje destroying about 80% of the city. It killed over 1 070 people, injured between 3 000 and 4 000, and left more than 200 000 homeless. When yesterday's quake hit, panic was expected.

The strongest quake registered by the EMSC was mb5.2 at 13:10 UTC on September 11. It hit at a depth of 4 km (2.5 miles). USGS reported mb5.3 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) and issued a yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.

According to the EMSC, the epicenter was located 4 km (2.5 miles) NE of Usje, 6 km (3.7 miles) E of Skopje (population 475 00), and 7 km (4.3 miles) NE of Sopište, Macedonia. The organization estimated there are 6.7 million people living in the felt area.

Image credit: EMSC

Seismologist Dragana Cernić of the national seismological observatory said she had received reports of cracks in the walls of buildings or collapsed chimneys, as well as damage to roofs in villages around Skopje. "The quake was felt throughout the country," Cernić added.

Parts of Skopje were without power and some mobile phone providers were down.

Many residents said they were terrified and stayed on the streets or in parks fearing to return to their homes.