A strong EarthQuake (7.5) Shakes Mozambique

[Demure]

HARARE (Reuters) - A strong earthquake rocked large parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe on Thursday, sending people into the streets as far away as Harare and Maputo, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Web site said the quake, which struck just after midnight (2200 GMT on Wdnesday), measured an estimated 7.5 and was centered in northern Mozambique, an area not known for dangerous seismic activity.

In Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, panic-stricken apartment dwellers poured into the streets but a spokesman for the fire and ambulance service said they had received no emergency calls.

In the city of Mutare, about 270 km (167.8 miles) to the west close to the Mozambique border, residents said the earthquake jolted houses and apartment buildings but did not appear to have caused widespread damage.

"It sounded like an explosion, but I haven't heard of any casualties," said a local journalist contacted by telephone.

Mutare, a city of about one million in Zimbabwe's mountainous Eastern Highlands, is where President Robert Mugabe is due to hold a major celebration on Saturday to mark his 82nd birthday.

Residents of Mozambique's capital Maputo -- about 1,000 km (621.4 miles) south of the quake's epicenter -- also took to the streets after the tremor, the first many could remember in the coastal city.

Mozambique state radio issued a brief report saying the quake was centered near Estungabera in northern Manica province -- a largely rural area near the Zimbabwe border.

It said the tremor was felt over large parts of the country, but did not give any reports of damage or injuries. Police and emergency services officials were not immediately available for comment.

"An earthquake of this size shakes the ground for quite a distance away from its epicenter so we're expecting that there is damage from this earthquake," said William Leith, a USGS earthquake specialist.

"It's a significant and unexpected earthquake in this region," he said by telephone from the USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia. "We'll expect aftershocks from an earthquake this large."

www.reuters.com

[SomaliLight]

Demure,


We thought 2005 was bad, this year is just booming with good news already ...Just today the bad news doesn't stop coming in...7.5 is crzy i hope the death toll is not that high.

HERE IS The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale to give you an idea:

M=1 to 3: Recorded on local seismographs, but generally not felt
M=3 to 4: Often felt, no damage

M=5: Felt widely, slight damage near epicentre

M=6: Damage to poorly constructed buildings and other structures within 10's km

M=7: "Major" earthquake, causes serious damage up to ~100 km (recent Taiwan, Turkey, Kobe, Japan, and California earthquakes).

M=8: "Great" earthquake, great destruction, loss of life over several 100 km (1906 San Francisco, 1949 Queen Charlotte Islands) .

M=9: Rare great earthquake, major damage over a large region over 1000 km (Chile 1960, Alaska 1964, and west coast of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, 1700).

[Demure]

I know 7.5 is very strong. I always consoled myself with if nothing else, At least Africa is largly immune from the many natural disasters bedivelling Asia and the rest of the world!

Not so much it seems.

[LionHeart-112]

No casualties. Unfortunately, earth is still over-populated.

[Unclebin]

How so brother lion. Do you know that the whole world can fit into Prince edward island in CANADA. Although it would be a tight fit it would happen. Some say that we can accomadate 50 billion people on this great expanse we call EARTH.

[LionHeart-112]

Really? Damn..then some1 lied to me..they told me after 5 years we won't have space for the chinks alone..

i know dude..only 5% of the U.S is populated...

[Ceelgabo]

Why isn't Western Media reporting this earthquake..

[LionHeart-112]

^^because negros aren't important.

[Moslima]

Isn't this one of the signs, which says "The Last day will come when there will be more natural disasters" Tsunami,Katrina,Pakistan earthquake,now this and a view to come this year.
hmmm...interesting so far almost all the sign of Last day, the one I haven't seen yet is "when there will be many females on earth then man,on scale 50female:1man"

Allah Akbar, o yes, God is great!

[fagash_killer]

how came americans know this kind of things as first i know sure they created the aid and now the burd fly and who knows that they can do things like this

[qudhac-m]

50 Women per one man love to SEEEEE THAT IN MY LIFE TIME
EVEN IF I HAVE TO USE A VIAGRA.
Fock the Qiyaama if I can have 50 women seems lottory to me


Suldaan qudhacoo leh HA SAMAATOO HA LA HELO maygaag