A strong earthquake of 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale struck
large parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe on Thursday morning.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake's
epicenter was 530 km north of Mozambique's capital Maputo at 12:19
PM local time on Wednesday.
Mozambican state radio said the quake was centered near
Espungabera, a small farming town in a remote and sparsely
populated area near the border with Zimbabwe.
The radio said residents of Maputo -- about 1,000 km south of
the quake's epicenter -- took to the streets after the tremor, the
first many could remember in the coastal city.
The quake also shook buildings and sent frightened people into
the streets in Mutare and Masvingo, two Zimbabwean cities about 160
km from the epicenter.
In Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, panic-stricken apartment dwellers
poured into the streets.
The quake was felt as far away as in South Africa's port city
Durban.
(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2006)
