A strong earthquake, of magnitude 6, occurred last night, Wednesday, August 12, along the coast of Tanzania and was felt throughout the Indian Ocean including southern Kenya. According to the seismic units of East Africa, the epicenter was about 80 kilometers southeast of Dar Es Salaam, in the open sea.
Shocks of moderate intensity were recorded throughout the Tanzanian metropolis and on the island of Zanzibar. However, due to the distance between the epicenter and the coast, the impact of the earthquake on homes and consequently on people was relatively light.
Mild to moderate damage (cracked walls and cracks in the walls, broken window panes) has been evident in the towns of Morogoro and Bagamoyo and is still probable in the coastal areas of the region.
People in this area could also expect a sequence of aftershocks. According to experts, there is no threat of tsunami.
Even in Kenya, especially in the areas near Mombasa and as far as Mtwapa in County Kilifi, light landslides lasting 3-5 seconds have been felt, as reported by numerous specialist sites. Only a little bit of fear but no damage to property or people has been recorded.
As the sites themselves report, earthquakes along the Tanzanian coast are relatively rare and today's event was the strongest in decades. Seismic activity at that site still results from tectonic processes along East Africa's Rift Valley, although it usually extends further inland. Last year an earthquake of the same magnitude, or rather slightly smaller (5.5) was recorded in the town of Mbeya and in the area of Lake Rukwa, just below Lake Victoria. In that case a small building also collapsed, causing a dozen deaths. There were 20 victims in Bukoba, also in the same area, in 2016.