A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Ethiopia east of the capital Addis Ababa early on Saturday morning, the German Geosciences Research Centre (GFZ) said.

The centre added that the quake occurred at a depth of ten kilometres.This is the third earthquake to hit Ethiopia in two weeks.

Last Saturday, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Ethiopia, the US Geological Survey and the German Geoscience Research Centre said.

The quake struck 142 kilometres east of the capital Addis Ababa at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, the USGS said.

The same area was hit by a 5.5-magnitude earthquake on the Friday before last and a series of smaller earthquakes, numbering more than 30, the week before last.