A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Albania, bringing down buildings and leaving people trapped under rubble.

At least four people have died. One man died after jumping from a window in panic, a defence ministry spokeswoman confirmed. Some 150 more were injured.

The quake hit 34 km (21 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana, early on Tuesday morning.

It was felt across the region including in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, almost 700 kilometres away.

Emergency workers told Albanian media that one of the dead was an elderly woman who had managed to save her grandson by cradling with her body. Two of those who died were in the town of Thumane, 40km to the north west of Tirana and close to the epicentre of the earthquake.

A defence ministry spokeswoman confirmed firefighters and army staff were helping residents caught under the rubble in the coastal city of Durres.

A man in Durres told local news channel News24 that his daughter and niece were among those trapped inside a collapsed apartment building.

“I talked with my daughter and niece on the phone. They said they are well and waiting for the rescue. Could not talk to my wife. There are other families, but I could not talk to them.”

Rescuers in the city were seen trying free a young boy trapped in the rubble.

#earthquake #Durres #Albania pic.twitter.com/p8tI1xibdo

— Klaudja Karabolli (@KKarabolli) November 26, 2019

There have been a number of aftershocks, including one of 5.3 magnitude, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.