December 19, 2009 Earthquake: Karonga, Malawi
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Karonga, Malawi on December 19, 2009 at 23:19:15 UTC, 6 km below the surface. It killed 3 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 19, 2009
- Time
- 23:19:15 UTC
- Place
- Karonga, Malawi
- Magnitude
- 6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 6 km (4 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 10.108° S, 33.818° E
- Country
- Malawi
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 250
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 1,111
- Houses damaged
- 1,111; 3,565 with its tsunami and other effects
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.
Three people killed, at least 250 injured, 1,111
houses destroyed and 3,565 damaged in Karonga. Felt at
Mzuzu. Also felt at Njombe, Tanzania and at Mpika,
Zambia. (reference #1053)
The Malawi quake, which occurred at 0119 a.m. local time (6:19 p.m. EST) and was 9.4 miles deep, was the latest in a series of tremors in the uranium-rich Karonga district this month. "Two people have died, a 4-year old child and his grandmother after the house they were sleeping in collapsed on them," police spokesman Enock Livasoni told Reuters.
He said up to 200 people may have been hurt, adding damage to villages was extensive, with numerous schools and government buildings affected. He said people were afraid to stay in the area, fearing further quakes and because cracks have developed in the ground. Some 3,000 Malawians continue to live in makeshift shelters following structural damage to their homes in previous quakes. (reference #5885)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2009The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2009Recent 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 8632.