Algiers: At least 538 people were killed and 4,638 injured when a powerful earthquake struck Northern Algeria, according to the latest official toll, with the number of casualties set to rise further.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika rushed to the worst-affected area, the district of Boumerdes, 50 kms east of the capital, where the death toll stood at 256, national radio reported early on May 22.

A further 200 were killed in and around Algiers, with the figures still rising, and 42 people died in the coastal town of Ain Taya, also East of the capital.

Traumatised residents in the capital, where 1,456 people were injured in the quake, rushed out of their homes as debris from building facades crashed onto the streets and windows were broken.

They were further panicked by continuing aftershocks, with many spending the night outside their homes or in public parks.

Many old buildings collapsed, particularly in the crowded Babel Oued and Belcourt districts.

"There is a risk that the toll could rise due to the number of people still buried beneath the rubble as search efforts continue," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Many residents packed their cars with their belongings, including mattresses, and fled the city after the quake struck.

The epicentre of the quake, which measured 5.2 on the Richter scale, was located at Thenia, about 60 kms East of Algiers, according to the Algerian Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre.

Agencies