Botswana 6.5-magnitude quake shakes at least 8 African countries, Mozambique included

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Botswana 6.5-magnitude quake shakes at least 8 African countries, Mozambique included

7:54 CAT | 04 Apr 2017

The strong earthquake that hit Botswana on Monday night registered at a 6.5 magnitude on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake struck shortly before 8 p.m. near Moijabana in the rural east-central Ghanzi region of the country. As yet, there are no confirmed reports on fatalities, injuries or damages, the government said in its social media messages.

It was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Botswana, news media in Gaborone said.

The earthquake was widely felt across Botswana and South Africa, as well as in Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to people who experienced the shaking of the shallow quake and logged their account with the USGS. Residents also reported aftershocks in the region.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also measured a 6.5-magnitude earthquake. It was the second earthquake to hit southern Africa in less than 24 hours. An earlier 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit South Africa with an epicenter near Stilfontein, about 150 kilometers west of Johannesburg.

Source: Africa Times