An earthquake hit the town of Laalam east of Algiers, killing at least four people and injuring 36, local authorities in Bejaia district said.

About 30 houses collapsed, Algerian news agency APS quoted the authorities as saying, adding that large quantities of rescue materiel had been sent to the affected region.

Algerian national radio said the quake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale shook the Kherrata region at 1944 GMT.

Its epicentre was situated near the town of Kherrata, between Bejaia and Setif (respectively 260 and 300 kilometres -- 165 and 190 miles -- east of the capital).

The tremor was strongly felt in the east of Bejaia region over around 100 kilometres (65 miles), causing panic among the population.

Algeria, the north of which is in a seismic zone at the junction between the Eurasian and African plates, is regularly affected by earthquakes.

In May 2003 Algiers and its region were struck by a violent quake that killed 2,300 people and injured more than 10,000.

PHOTO CAPTION

Earthquake recorded on a seismograph. (AFP)