A powerful earthquake toppled homes onto children in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo today, killing at least two people in a region already beset by war, poverty and volcanoes.

A powerful earthquake in Lake Tanganyika was felt across east and central Africa today, sending workers in the centre of Nairobi fleeing their offices in panic.

A powerful earthquake hit the Lake Tanganyika area of central Africa today and was felt as far away as the Kenyan coast.

The US Geological Survey said today's earthquake in east Africa was magnitude 6.8 and occurred in the Lake Tanganyika region between Congo and Tanzania.

An earthquake has hit east Africa with possible magnitude of 6 or 7, news reports say.