The Civil Protection Authority in Algeria said that a 4.9-magnitude earthquake jolted the east of the country on Friday, destroying three homes, damaging a number of others, and prompting residents to flee in panic to the streets.
No injuries were reported.
The earthquake was followed by a 4.5-magnitude aftershock in the province of Mila, about 350 km east of the capital, Algiers.
The authority added that three houses, including a four-storey villa, were completely destroyed, while 31 apartments were partially destroyed, several other houses were cracked, and one of the roads was closed as a result of the damage caused.
In 2003, an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit the capital and surrounding areas, killing nearly 2,000 people.