At least 13 people were killed and around 200 injured after an earthquake of 5.7 magnitude hit north western Tanzania on Saturday, local authorities said.
The earthquake hit the region of Lake Victoria close to the border with Uganda and Rwanda at a depth of 10 km around 15:27 p.m. local time. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre was about 25 km east of the north western town of Nsunga on the border of Lake Victoria. Tremors were felt as far as Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya.
"The toll has climbed from 11 people dead to 13 and from 192 injured to 203. For now, the situation is calm and under control. Some people have been discharged from hospital. We don't expect many more injuries. We'll see tomorrow," Deodatus Kinawilo, district commissioner for Bukoba, told AFP.
There is a huge influx of patients in local hospitals due to which they are full and unable to manage the injured, BBC reported. Houses have caved in and buildings have collapsed as rescuers are still trying to pull out people trapped beneath the rubble of buildings. The city of Bukoba, home to over 70,000 people, witnessed significant damage to human life and property. Most deaths were reported from Bukoba.
Rescue operations are still underway.
The Tanzanian president's office said in a statement that the president was "shocked by reports of the earthquake that caused the death of many people, injury to others and destruction of property."
This is not the first time Tanzania has been hit by an earthquake. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit the town of Arusha, located east of Bukoba, in July 2007.
