STRONG QUAKE HITS SOUTHERN ADRIATIC

ZAGREB, Sept 6 (Hina) - An earthquake measuring 6 points on the Richter scale struck the southern Croatian Adriatic coast at 22.45 hours on Thursday. The quake's epicentre was in the Ston and Slano area, 30 km northwest of Dubrovnik, the Seismological Service said on Friday. It caused damage to residential buildings in Stone and its surroundings. A section of the the Adriatic road in the Dubrovnik area was closed to traffic. The quake was felt in Makarska, more than 100 km to the northwest, and was followed by another tremor an hour later. Besides landslides which blocked some roads in the area, no other damage was reported. Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa travelled to Dubrovnik County on Friday morning to visit the quake-affected area. He was accompanied by Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic and National Security Office Chief Luka Bebic. (hina) vm jn 061112 MET sep 96