December 8, 2009 Earthquake: Karonga, Malawi
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Karonga, Malawi on December 8, 2009 at 03:08:57 UTC, 8 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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 8, 2009
- Time
- 03:08:57 UTC
- Place
- Karonga, Malawi
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 8 km (5 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 9.948° S, 33.878° E
- Country
- Malawi
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 15
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses damaged
- 3,000 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.
One person killed, 15 people injured and about 3,000 buildings damaged or destroyed in the Karonga area. Also felt at Chitipa and Mzuzu. Felt (IV) at Njombe, Tanzania. Also felt at Mbeya. (reference #1053)
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 8793.