October 24, 2002 Earthquake: Mugera, Kigali, Goma, Lwiro, Bukavu, Rwanda, Congo
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Mugera, Kigali, Goma, Lwiro, Bukavu, Rwanda, Congo on October 24, 2002 at 06:08:37 UTC, 11 km below the surface. It killed 2 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- October 24, 2002
- Time
- 06:08:37 UTC
- Place
- Mugera, Kigali, Goma, Lwiro, Bukavu, Rwanda, Congo
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 11 km (7 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.884° S, 29.004° E
- Country
- Congo
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Two people killed at Goma, several buildings damaged or destroyed at Lwiro and minor damage to buildings at Bukavu and Goma. One building destroyed at Mugera and several buildings damaged at Kigali, Rwanda. Felt as far south as Bujumbura, Burundi and as far north as Rutshuru, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (reference #1053)
Kapili, Lake Kivu, Rwanda. 2 people killed and walls of buildings in nearby towns cracked and some destroyed. A magnitude M6.3 earthquake occurred at the western border of the central part of Lake Kivu in the EARS on 24 October 2002. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake had the shallow depth (10 km) typical of most local earthquakes. The effects of the event were felt in the DR Congo as well as in Rwanda, which resulted in the deaths of two people (Mavonga, 2007). Cracks on walls of buildings were observed in nearby towns, and some buildings were destroyed especially in Lwiro and Mugeri. This earthquake was followed by a M5.5 aftershock one hour later. (reference #13028)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 17, 2002, Gisenyi, Rwanda
- February 3, 2008, Bukavu, Congo
- May 25, 2021, Rubavu, Congo, Rwanda
- September 22, 1960, Lake Tanganyika, Congo
- September 23, 2016, Ukavu, Risuzi, Congo, Rwanda
- August 7, 2015, Bukavu, Rwanda
- February 24, 2004, Ruyaga, Burundi
- June 10, 2021, South Kivu, Congo
- February 14, 2008, Gisenyi, Rwanda
More
Significant earthquakes of 2002The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2002Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5658.