Highlights
An earthquake with magnitude 5,9 and a depth of 40 km hit the border area between Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda on 10th September.
17 persons reported dead, 253 injured and 53 still hospitalized.
840 buildings destroyed and up to 5,000 houses damaged.
No request for assistance received but Government appreciates support provided.
Situation Overview
An earthquake with the magnitude of 5,9 (revised from initially reported 5,7) on the Richter scale, and at a depth of 40km (revised from initially reported 10km) hit the border area between Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda on 10th September at 15:27 local time. The epicenter was to the east of the north-western town of Nsunga on the border of Lake Victoria and triggered a green GDACS alert. The earthquake is considered 7.99 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale1 which is between very strong and severe. See footnote below for explanations. The earthquake also caused damages in Uganda, with at least 4 people killed and over a hundred buildings destroyed (The Observer). A stronger aftershock was felt in Bukoba at 22.15 on 11th September but there are no reports of further damaged caused by this. The Prime Minister informed via media, that the Government appreciated support that was offered and arranged a pledging meeting on 13th September to receive support from international missions and private sector.