At least 16 people were killed and 600 people injured after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit central Albania on Tuesday morning, local authorities said. 

Most of the victims were pulled from ruins as rescuers, soldiers and civilians dug through rubble after the earthquake on Tuesday.

The country's health ministry has confirmed that more than 600 people have received treatment. The Defense Ministry confirmed the death toll of 16 after several more dead were reported in the western port city of Durres.

Greece dispatched two rescue teams of 41 specially trained firefighters to Albania to assist the search for survivors after the quake, the fire department said.

The earthquake struck an area 30 kilometers west of the capital of Tirana shortly before 04:00. local time (03:00 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometers, said the US Geological Survey.

The quake was felt in several cities and towns along the coast, damaging buildings and panicking residents as they flocked to the streets in darkness.

The coastal city of Durres was the most severely damaged. The bodies of four people, including a young girl, were recovered there. 

Three more bodies were found in rubble in the nearby town of Thumane.

Meanwhile, in the town of Kurbin, a man in his 50s died after he jumped out of building in panic, and another lost his life in a car accident after the earthquake tore open parts of the road.

No other details have been released. 

(With input from AFP)