The earthquake that shook parts of the country yesterday injured two children and destroyed a few houses in Rusizi District. The 5.6 magnitude quake on the richter scale, that hit the country in the wee hours of Friday (around 3.30am), was also felt in neighboring DR Congo and Burundi. The quake struck 39 kilometres (24 miles) north of Bukavu, DR Congo, not far from the border with Rwanda, at 3:25am, according to the US Geological Survey. Rusizi vice mayor for social affairs Emmanuel Nsigaye said the two children were injured after the house they were sleeping in was partially destroyed. The injured children were treated and discharged from Nkanka Health Centre in Gihundwe Sector. Nsigaye said the quake also partially damaged a house in Gihundwe and completely destroyed another in Nkombo Sector. Other two houses in Nkombo Sector got serious cracks. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) said preliminary reports indicate that the earthquake did not cause major injuries or damages. Frederic Ntawukuriryayo, the public relations and communication officer at MIDIMAR, said the earthquake was felt in eight districts of the country, caused four injuries and partially destroyed six houses. He said an assessment is ongoing and Goma Volcanic Observatory is now monitoring the effects on volcanoes. “We heard the house shaking, we woke up and dashed outside but after some time, we returned to bed. People were frightened here because of previous experience,” said Patience Banamwana, a resident of Gihunwe Sector in Rusizi. Rusizi District experienced an earthquake in 2008 that destroyed infrastructure, left dozens of people dead and hundreds injured. Meanwhile, media reports indicated that yesterday’s earthquake killed at least three people in eastern DR Congo.
