A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck in southwest South Korea Wednesday, the country's weather agency said, with witnesses reporting a "thunderous roar" although no major damage was reported.

The quake struck four kilometres south of the county of Buan, which is around 205 kilometres south of Seoul, at 8:26 am (1126 GMT), according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

An alert text message was sent to citizens nationwide, which advised those in affected areas to be cautious of possible falling objects and aftershocks.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed the government to implement "thorough" measures in response to the earthquake, with local reports saying that noise and shaking were also experienced in the cities of Sejong, Daejeon and Cheonan.

Buan resident Yang Seo-yeon told AFP she heard a "thunderous roar" while she was getting ready to go to work in the morning.

"It sounded as if I was in the middle of a huge construction site. Then my house started shaking."

No significant damage had been reported as of Wednesday morning, according to authorities.

Unlike neighbouring Japan, the Korean peninsula rarely experiences significant quakes.

The country's most powerful quake to date was a 5.8-magnitude tremor that struck Gyeongju, also in the southeast, in September 2016.

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

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