Over 1 000 people called the emergency 112 hotline to report incidents from the strong earthquake and the 60 aftershocks that hit Bulgaria overnight.

According to the Director of the National Emergency Call Center, Stoyan Gramatikov, cited by Darik radio, most calls were placed from the capital Sofia, the western city of Pernik and the western town of Radomir. The calls most commonly reported cracked masonry and collapsed chimneys.

450 calls were placed from Sofia and 410 from Pernik, but they have steadily subsided in the course of the day. There were also 150 calls for medical emergencies.

Gramatikov further says that there were no technical glitches and exasperated and impatient callers. He reminds everyone that they should state why they are calling, the extent of the incident such as what happened and how many people were involved, and give an exact address.

He stresses that citizens should not use the emergency hotline to find information as many have done overnight.

The earthquake had a magnitude of about 5.9-6.0 on the Richter scale, up from the initial reports of 5.8 and struck at 2:58 am Tuesday morning. Its epicenter is located about 6 km from Pernik and is at a shallow depth, making the shocks felt even stronger.

Despite the strong shock, there are no reported casualties, no serious injuries and no significant national infrastructure damage.