Reykjavik: A strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake rattled Iceland today, causing some property damage but no deaths or injuries, police in the Nordic island nation said.

Officials nevertheless urged inhabitants to stay at home in case of aftershocks, and to avoid making telephone calls so as not to overburden the telecommunications network.

The US Geological Survey in Washington said the earthquake -- which struck at 2116 IST -- was centred 50 kilometres east-southeast from Reykjavik, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Police said the earthquake -- with its epicentre near the town of Selfoss, about 45 minutes drive from the Icelandic capital -- resulted in only slight property damage, with no reports of casualties.

The road to Selfoss was closed to traffic, as the website of Iceland s leading newspaper Morgunbladid ran photos of cracks in a highway as well as a living room with its floor covered with shattered dishes and glassware.

Torfi Tulinius, a professor at the University of Reykjavik, said it was "the biggest earthquake since the one of June 2001," with a magnitude of 6.5,which caused only minor injuries.

A journalist at RUV television said the temblor was felt not only in Reykjavik, but also in the southeast of Iceland, about 300 kilometres from the epicentre.

Source : PTI