707 dead, 5,000 injured in Algerian quake

Interior ministry officials in Algeria have put the toll from Wednesday night's earthquake at 707 killed and more than 5,000 injured.

The 6.7 magnitude quake crumbled apartment houses, knocked down walls and toppled trees in the area east of Algiers, the capital.

The quake was deadliest in towns around Thenia, 40 miles east of Algiers.

The quake hit about 7.45pm, cutting electricity in some neighbourhoods of Algiers and causing panic throughout the city.

About 10 aftershocks rippled through the area in the hours that followed, though the city was calm by this afternoon.