Strong earthquake rocks Uganda

The earthquake struck this afternoon in East Africa, with the epicentre just a few kilometres across the Uganda / Tanzania border, with the nearest major town being Bukoba, located on the shores of Lake Victoria.

The earth tremors were felt as far as Kenya and deep into Rwanda and Burundi, while the South Western Ugandan town of Mbarara – the closest major population center in Uganda, got the most of the quake according to reports received.

In Kampala the quake made itself known first by sound, which resembled an oncoming train before this correspondent’s residence notably shook for almost a minute, then followed by several lighter aftershocks.

While the ceiling lamps swayed from side to side, thankfully nothing did break, though some neighbors reported broken glasses that fell from tables, but no greater damage thankfully.

Initial reports from international earthquake watch organizations talked of the quake taking place in a depth of around 10 kilometers and the strength was confirmed as being 5.7 on the open ended Richter Scale.