World Bulletin / News Desk

An earthquake hit eastern Romania early Wednesday, shaking the capital Bucharest, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. 

"The epicentre was in the seismic region of Vrancea at a depth of 100 kilometres (60 miles)," the institute's spokesman Mircea Radulian told AFP after the quake hit around 1:20 am (2320 GMT Tuesday).

The Vrancea region, northeast of Bucharest, has experienced some of Romania's most deadly tremors, notably in 1977 when a 7.2-magnitude quake killed more than 1,500 people.

The area sits on the junction of three tectonic plates and is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe.