A strong earthquake of 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale struck large parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe on Thursday morning.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake's epicenter was 530 km north of Mozambique's capital Maputo at 12:19 PM local time on Wednesday.

Mozambican state radio said the quake was centered near Espungabera, a small farming town in a remote and sparsely populated area near the border with Zimbabwe.

The radio said residents of Maputo -- about 1,000 km south of the quake's epicenter -- took to the streets after the tremor, the first many could remember in the coastal city.

The quake also shook buildings and sent frightened people into the streets in Mutare and Masvingo, two Zimbabwean cities about 160 km from the epicenter.

In Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, panic-stricken apartment dwellers poured into the streets.

The quake was felt as far away as in South Africa's port city Durban.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2006)