There was panic in parts of western Tanzania's region of Rukwa and Katavi as a 5.7 Richter Scale earthquake jolted the region around Lake Tanganyika, with tremors being felt deep into Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi, Congo and beyond.

In Sumbawanga Municipality, witnesses said the tremors caused lots of fears amongst residents in the area as some dashed out thinking their houses were about to collapse.

Maria Kayanda, a resident of Sumbawanga, the headquarters of Rukwa Region said the tremors were experienced at around 3 a.m. local time when she was asleep.

"Then suddenly I noticed the house was shaking. I quickly rushed out, but I realized that I left my child inside the house. I quickly grabbed my son. Everyone was in a panic," she said.

Philipo Siulapwa of Kasanga Township, located along Lake Tanganyika shores said he couldn't sleep after realizing that it was an earthquake.

He said that people's fear were based on what had happened in north-western Tanzania's region of Kagera when an earthquake struck the area, killing more than 100 people, injuring many and displacing dozens last year.

George Kyando, Rukwa Regional Police Commander, said that the tremors were highly experienced in areas close to Lake Tanganyika, though no causalities were reported in relation to the earthquake.

He said that fears were due to bad experiences they have on what happened in Kagera last September.

Kyando said that it happened at around 3:30 a.m. local time and people in the area were forced to come outside their houses as they feared that it would come again.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, early on Friday, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit near the Africa's deepest lake-Lake Tanganyika, with the epicenter in northern Zambia.

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by XinHua News Agency

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