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4.9 magnitude earthquake hits Uganda-South Sudan border areas

Posted on 15/11/2023

The quake hit the area at a shallow depth of 8.4 km and didn’t cause significant damage. According to USGS, weak shakings as a result of the earthquake were however felt in the districts of Yumbe, some 52 kilometers from the epicenter, Moyo, 63 km away, Adjumani, 87 km away, Arua 107 Km away and Juba city 110 Km away.

A 4.9 moderate magnitude earthquake hit the border areas of South Sudan and Uganda on Monday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quake struck at 9:54 P.m near Yei in Central Equatoria state, some 36 km North of Yumbe district in the Northern Region, Uganda.

The tremor sent some people in Northern Uganda who hadn’t slept at the time into panic and confusion. Olivia Milanzi, a resident of Arua Central Division in Arua City, says that she felt a strong vibration that left her room shaking. She noted that it was her first time experiencing such a strong earthquake. “I ran out of my house thinking it was going to collapse. The vibration was really very strong,” she said.

Hundreds of miles away from the epicenter in Gulu City, Emma Ajok, a resident of Pece-Laroo Division was seated with her son on a chair in their living room when she felt the tremor.

“I was seated on my chair with my son Josh, I felt my chair shaking. I thought he was the one pushing it after the whole house was vibrating, later I thought somebody was driving my car, but it was a strange movement.” She added “Josh ran away from where he was seated while shouting Mum the house is going to fall let’s get outside,”

In 2016, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit Bukoba, Tanzania, and some parts of Uganda causing a lot of damage to buildings and property. In Uganda, places like Kasensero, Kanabulemu, Minziiro, Mutukula, Kifamba, Kabonera, Kakuuto, Kyebe, Kakuuto, and Kibanda got really affected. These areas are about 30 kilometers from Nsunga, Tanzania, where the earthquake started.