Quake causes 11 deaths in Kagera

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Scene of devastation that were left behind in Kagera Region today when an earthquake struck. (Photos by a Correspondent)

• 192 suffer injuries
• Mwanza hit by same tremor

AT least 11 people were confirmed dead and more than 192 injured today following an earthquake that hit Kagera and Mwanza regions.

Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Augustine Ollomi, confirmed the reports.

The earthquake measured at a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale.

Meanwhile, President John Magufuli has sent condolences to Kagera Regional Commissioner (RC), Retired Major General Salum Mustafa Kijuu, following the death of the residents who died from the impact of the earthquake today in the re- gion.

In a statement issued by the Presidential Directorate of Communication, the president expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, which claimed peo- ple's lives and left behind a number of others who were injured.

The tremor also caused serious damage to property. The president further said that he was joining the families of the deceased, friends and relatives and pray for those who died to rest in peace.

"Through you the RC of Kagera and RCs of re- gions next to yours, which were hit by the quake, I extend my condolences to families, relatives and friends of the deceased and pray to Almighty God to bestow on them patience and perseverance in this difficult time," said Dr Magufuli.

The president also prayed for those who were injured to regain their health through speedy recovery.

An expert from the Geological Survey of Tanzania, Mr Gabriel Mbogoni, confirmed the occurrence of the earthquake, saying it was of the most intensive ever experienced in the country before.

According to Mr Mbogoni, this was the second earthquake to hit Tanzania in recent years, recalling the last one which was reported in Bariadi District in Simiyu Region (then part of Shinyanga Region) in 2000.

He said normally the earthquake never hits once. He predicted the possibility of hitting again the very same area after a couple of days scientifically known as aftershocks.

Responding on whether the institution released an alert on the scenario, Mr Mbogoni said normally it is impossible for the authorities to issue an early warning. He added that even the developed countries have failed to do so.

The residents in the two affected regions were filled with tension after they were hit by the earthquake. According to information obtained from Kagera and Mwanza regions, the earthquake caused deaths and destruction of property including the collapse of homes and warehouses.

Speaking to the ‘Sunday News’, Kagera Regional Commissioner (RC), retired Major General Salum Mustafa Kijuu, said the earthquake left four people dead in the region. He said two of the deceased were men and the remaining two were children. “So far we have not managed to identify their names, we will give more details later,” he said.

The RC added that the earthquake has also led to the destruction of many properties including collapse of houses and warehouses in various areas of the region.

“The Tanganyika Instant Coffee Company Limited (Tanica)’s warehouse collapsed and one of the people who died during the incident was working with Tanica,” he said.

According to the RC, many people have been injured and that until yesterday evening, the regional hospital was busy receiving victims from different parts of the region. He said Bukoba Municipal Council was among the most affected areas in the region.

The RC said his office was continuing to collect information from various sources and that it will give a full report today. “We are continuing to collect information from different areas in the region before conducting damage evaluation.

We will inform the public on the situation later,” he noted. Sources from Misenyi District told the ‘Sunday News’ that many houses collapsed after they were hit by the earthquake.

Mr Jones Mugisha, a resident of Kashasha village said: “We thank God the earthquake has occurred in the daylight and most of the villagers managed to flee from houses otherwise it would have caused many deaths,” he said.

MEDDY MULISA reports from Muhutwe in Muleba District that the earthquake occurred at around 3:00 pm. He said many houses collapsed and others have developed cracks in the walls. The residents in Muhutwe said the incident had never happened before in their areas.

The earthquake also hit some areas in neighbouring Uganda.