March 20, 1966 Earthquake: Kichwamba, Bondibogyo, Tanzania, Dr Congo, Uganda

March 20, 1966, 01:42:49.9 UTC, 0.6 N, 30.2 E, depth 36 km, magnitude 6.75-7. This was the most destructive earthquake in recent African history. The damage appeared to center about Bundibugyo, a one-street township 42 miles from Fort Portal, near the Congo border. About 140 fatalities and hundreds of injuries were reported from Bundibugyo, Fort Portal, and Kichwamba. At Kamango, in the Congo, a chasm 9 feet wide and 1,000 feet long opened up in the ground. Immediate relief measures were greatly impeded by landslides which severed communications and blocked highways. (reference #45)

March 20, 1966, 104 deaths and $1.5 million damage. (reference #1250)

March 20, 1966, Mt. Ruwenzori, Uganda, 100 dead. (reference #1002)

March 20, 1966, magnitude 6.0 Ms. Toro, Uganda. A maximum intensity value of VII (Modified Mercalli intensity MMI/scale) was observed in the Mt Ruwenzori area as well as in adjacent areas in the DR Congo. Extensive damage estimated at US$1.5 million was reported in both Uganda and DR Congo. The earthquake caused the deaths of 157 people, 104 in Uganda, 1 in Tanzania and 52 in DR Congo (Loupekine, 1966). The earthquake was also felt in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya. Cracks and fissures were observed on the ground and landslides were triggered. The earthquake was preceded by numerous foreshocks on 18 and 19 March 1966 and followed by many aftershocks during the next two months, nine of them with a magnitude greater than 5.0. One of the aftershocks (18 May 1966) caused the deaths of 90 people in DR Congo and destroyed many buildings in the country as well as in Uganda (Loupekine, 1966). (reference #13028)

March 20, 1966, 01:42:53.71 UTC, 0.622 N, 29.863 E, depth 29 km, magnitude 6.6 Mw. (reference #10476)