December 5, 2005 Earthquake: Kalemie, Congo
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kalemie, Congo on December 5, 2005 at 12:19:56 UTC, 22 km below the surface. It killed 6 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
- December 5, 2005
- Time
- 12:19:56 UTC
- Place
- Kalemie, Congo
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 22 km (14 mi)
- Intensity
- 4 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 6.224° S, 29.830° E
- Country
- Congo
The toll
- Deaths
- 6
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 300
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.
At least six people killed, 300 houses destroyed and a church collapsed at Kalemie, Congo. (reference #1053)
An earthquake of local magnitude M6.8 occurred in the central part of Lake Tanganyika near the Mahale Mountain National Park in Tanzania on 5 December 2005. The USGS reported that 6 people were killed and 300 houses were destroyed in DR Congo including a church that collapsed at Kalamie. The shaking from the earthquake was felt in Tanzania and Rwanda with an intensity of IV and in Uganda and Kenya with an intensity of III. The earthquake was also felt as far as Luanda, Angola, sending people running in panic in search of shelter. However, no damage was reported there. (reference #13028)
More
Significant earthquakes of 2005The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2005Recent 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 6830.