ROSTOV-ON-DON (Russia), Oct 11: A strong earthquake killed 12 people and damaged scores of buildings on Saturday in North Caucasus, officials said.

The quake hit at around 1pm (0900 GMT) and was centered northeast of the Chechen capital, Grozny, Russian emergency officials said. The US Geological Survey said the temblor had a magnitude of 5.3.

A series of aftershocks was felt throughout the North Caucasus and which rattled Grozny for over 30 seconds, said Oleg Grekov, a regional Emergency Situations Ministry official.

Most of the people died from falling debris or furniture from homes and apartment buildings, he said.

Two dozen people sought medical help in the Chechen town of Gudermes, he said.

Russia’s Caucasus Mountain region only sees occasional earthquakes. Most buildings are not reinforced against severe structural shocks and even small quakes can cause serious damage.—AP