March 21, 2019 Earthquake: Songwe, Mbeya, Tanzania

At least one person killed in Iyula and 4 houses destroyed and others damaged in Mbeya. (reference #1053)

At least one person has died following a moderate earthquake that struck Thursday in the Lake Rukwa region of southwestern Tanzania. The 5.5-magnitude quake, centered beneath the lake itself, hit at 12:15 p.m. local time and affected the Katavi, Mbeya, Rukwa and Songwe regions. The fatality occurred south of the A104 route in the village of Iyula, when a house collapsed from the tremors, according to ITV in Dar es Salaam. At least four houses collapsed in the Mbeya region, while other buildings showed cracks and other signs of damage. The shaking caused residents to flee buildings in the city of Mbeya, where the mayor rushed out of a meeting, and in Sumbawanga, to the west of the lake. People in Malawi, in Kigali in Rwanda and in Uganda's Kampala, as well as in Zambia said they felt the shaking, according to reports collected by the United States Geological Service (USGS). The USGS initially reported the quake as a 5.1-magnitude on the Richter scale but later upgraded the strength. (reference #12399)