Scores of buildings have been flattened

And there is concern that the figure may rise much further, as frantic efforts continue to rescue people buried beneath piles of rubble in the capital, Algiers, and small towns to the east.

In the worst-hit district of Boumerdes, 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Algiers, bodies have been lined up outside hospitals and patients are being treated in the open air.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been to the area. Television pictures showed him visiting a middle-aged woman in hospital whose face and lips were shaking uncontrollably.

I saw the earth tremble, I saw people jump from the window of the hotel Icham Mouiss, Boumerdes resident Eyewitness accounts

The quake struck at 1944 (1844 GMT) on Wednesday, bringing down scores of apartment blocks in seconds.

The tremor was felt as far away as southern Spain on the other side of the Mediterranean.

There are reports of some people jumping from windows in panic. Survivors have been digging into the rubble with their bare hands to try to find relatives and friends.

Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia described the quake as a "national catastrophe" and appealed for international help.

France has sent more than 100 rescuers along with sniffer dogs and emergency equipment to help its former colony.

"More than ever, France stands beside Algeria and its friends the Algerian people during this cruel blow," said French President Jacques Chirac.

Germany has also offered its assistance.

Families flee

The BBC's Saed Chitour in Algiers said the earthquake shook buildings, brought down masonry and caused panic throughout the city and beyond.

More pictures

Many people have taken to the streets, fearful of more tremors. Others have fled the capital and surrounding towns, taking refuge in the open countryside.

"I saw the earth tremble. I saw people jump from the window of the hotel," a resident of Boumerdes, Icham Mouiss, told French television.

At least 100 people were reported killed In the industrial city of Rouiba, east of Algiers.

"It is catastrophic. I have never seen such a disaster in my life. Everything has collapsed," said one Rouiba resident, Yazid Khelfaoui, whose mother was killed in the quake.

At a three-storey apartment block that collapsed, rescuers were trying to pull a young woman called Latifa out of the rubble.

"She's a miracle. She's alive," said one resident.

ALGERIAN EARTHQUAKES 22 December 1999: 28 dead and 175 injured in north-west 18 August 1994: 172 dead and 288 injured in western region of Mascara 29 October 1989: 30 dead and 400 injured in Tipaza region 10 October 1980: About 3,000 dead and 8,000 injured and in al-Asnam 9 and 16 September 1954: 1,400 dead and 14,000 injured

At the local hospital, which has been besieged by people seeking news of missing relatives, witnesses described seeing rows of dead bodies.

Power supplies were cut in some areas, hampering rescue efforts overnight.

Telephone lines and mobile phone networks are reported to be working erratically but the system is being overloaded by people trying to call relatives.

The authorities have appealed for medical staff to report to work and for members of the public to donate blood.

The Maghreb region of northern Africa, which includes Algeria and Tunisia, is the place where the African and Eurasian plates meet, making it extremely unstable.

This is Algeria's worst earthquake since 1980, when 3,000 people were killed.

Did you witness the earthquake?

Use the form below to send us your accounts, some of which will be published below.

I just hope every one is ok back home Dahmane, UK

I am originally form Thenia which is the epicentre and I have been trying since yesterday evening to call home but no luck, following the news on our Algerian TV which I found useless. I just hope every one is ok back home.
Dahmane, UK

Waves from the earthquake have arrived in Ibiza and Menorca (we're due North), and have been so strong that they have damaged vessels in the harbours here. Can't imagine what it must have been like in Algiers. Send them what help you can.
J. Roberts, Spain

It was the booming noise that first alerted us that something was wrong. However, before we had the chance to do anything the room was violently shaking. My wife took our baby and got under the dining room table. Two friends suggested we go outside. The first shock lasted two or three minutes and smashed plates in the kitchen and brought plaster and paint of the walls. There were some pretty big after shocks throughout the night. The state of many buildings is still uncertain with some having gaping cracks. We pray that there isn't another as lots of buildings in Algiers are unsafe and in disrepair. As I write we are still feeling the aftershocks.
Robert Bailey, Algiers, Algeria

I have never seen anything like it in my life and I'm not even sure if my family are still alive!
Polopy Husir, Algeria

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