A strong earthquake of 6.2 magnitude has hit Iceland, a geologically unstable volcanic island in the north Atlantic, injuring 15 to 30 people and damaging several buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, with its epicentre near the town of Selfoss, 50km southeast of the capital Reykjavik, had a magnitude of 6.2 and hit at 3:46 p.m. (15:46 GMT).

“Everything was shaking. The glass in the windows shook and everybody was just really scared,” said a witness in Reykjavik. Residents in the Reykjavik said they felt buildings shake. They rushed into the streets as the earth began to shake. Aftershocks were felt in the south-west of the country.

Authorities advised the residents to remain outside of their homes due to the possibility of aftershocks. The road between capital Reykjavik and Selfoss was closed by quake damage.

Pall Einarsson, Professor of Geophysics at the Institute of Earth Sciences in Iceland told the BBC that the earthquakes are common in this country due to the fact that Iceland is sitting on a plate boundary which separates America and Eurasian plates. He said that large earthquakes are relatively rare.

With a population of about 3000,000, Iceland was hit by a major earthquake of 6.6 on the Richter scale in 2000. It knocked down a dozen houses but caused no serious injuries.