An earthquake struck under the Mediterranean early Monday with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, the US Geological Survey said, dpa reported.

The quake hit at 0422 GMT, at a depth of 10 kilometres, around 65 km north of the Moroccan coast, and 165 km east of Gibraltar on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, it said.

No damage or casualties were immediately reported. At least one aftershock reached magnitude 5.3.