Quake hits southern Siberia

<br>MOSCOW (AP) _ An earthquake on Monday shook a region in southern Siberia that has been hit by a series of powerful tremors since the end of last month. No damage or casualties were immediately reported.

Monday, October 13th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MOSCOW (AP) _ An earthquake on Monday shook a region in southern Siberia that has been hit by a series of powerful tremors since the end of last month. No damage or casualties were immediately reported.

The quake, which had an estimated magnitude of 5, had its epicenter about 20 miles south of the town of Aktash in the mountainous Altai Republic, said Viktor Beltsov, a spokesman for Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry.

Since Sept. 27, several quakes in the same area which measured up to 8 in magnitude destroyed numerous buildings, leaving hundreds of people homeless.

Those quakes also cracked roads and bridges and knocked out power and water supplies in the southern portion of the region, which borders Mongolia and Kazakhstan. No deaths were reported, but several people were lightly injured.