We Have Reports of Injuries and Loss of Property From the Rwandan Earthquake

Added by Senior Reporter on August 10, 2015.
Saved under EASTERN AFRICA, Headline, News, Rwanda
Tags: earthquake

The early morning earthquake that was felt in the biggest part of the country left some people injured in Rusizi and Rubavu districts while houses got destroyed in Rutsiro District, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR).

Speaking to The New Times this morning, Jean-Baptiste Nsengiyumva, the Director of Disaster and Risk Management in MIDIMAR said that the two strong quake sequences of tremor came as a surprise to the department.

“We have received a few reports that there are people in Rusizi and Rubavu who sustained injuries due to the strong quake that hit the area. A few houses in Rutsiro also got destroyed. Well, the earthquake came as a surprise but we are in contact with a local geological institution based in Rubavu to give us more details about the tremor,” said Nsengiyumva.

Nsengiyumva added that the same institution located Rusizi will also provide details if the tremor could strike again or not, as few speculations have started to circulate that a stronger quake could be coming.

The epicenter for the quake, with a reported magnitude of 5.6, is said to have been around Rusizi District area in Western Province.

The 5.6 magnitude quake which hit Rwanda early Friday morning (around 3.30am) is said to have extended its hitting surface to the neighboring DR Congo and Burundi

The quake struck 39 km (24 miles) north of Bukavu, Congo, not far from the border with Rwanda, at 3:25 a.m. local time on Friday (0125 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.

The western part of Rwanda has for years witnessed series of earthquake bouts with the strongest happening in 2008 where nearly 40 lives were lost and thousands of families were left homeless.

By Athan Tashobya

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