This picture has been used for illustrative purpose only.

A shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the Algerian coast on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit 20 kilometres north-east of the city of Bejaia at 1:04 am local time (0004 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US monitoring service.

Bejaia, which has a population of roughly 164,000, endured moderate shaking, USGS said.

The capital city Algiers also felt some light shaking.

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In the aftermath of the 6.0-magnitude quake USGS reported two further quakes in the same area, of 5.2 and 4.7 magnitude respectively.

In Bejaia the General Directorate of Algerian Civil Protection reported some instances of panic as residents fled their homes.

They also said there was some damage, including cracks in the walls of residences as well as the partial collapse of an old unoccupied building.

There have been no reports yet of serious injuries or casualties.

Photographs shared on social media also appeared to show some damage, with interior walls fractured and images of crumbled walls.