A moderately strong earthquake shakes Montenegro and neighboring countries in the Western Balkans

PODGORICA, Montenegro — A moderately strong earthquake shook Montenegro and neighboring countries early Thursday, causing some damage but no reported casualties.

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit an uninhabited border area between Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Milena Tomanović from Montenegro's Institute for Hydrology and Seismology told reporters that 30 smaller quakes followed the strongest one.

Authorities in Montenegro said the earthquake caused cracks in some houses and triggered landslides that blocked some roads.

The earthquake was felt as far as Serbia's capital, Belgrade. In the southeastern Bosnian town of Bileca, authorities closed schools as a precaution and were assessing possible damage in the area.

“We have been in the field since early morning. Luckily we recorded no damage so far,” Bileca civil protection chief Veselin Vujovic said.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in central Croatia in 2020 killed several people and injured scores.