Earthquake rocks Tanzania

A strong earthquake shook northern Tanzania today, one in a series in recent days in the region, officials said.

Police said no casualties had been reported so far.

In the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha, the building housing the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was evacuated for some time, said Danford Mpumilwa, the tribunal’s spokesman.

The quake was felt more than 62 miles away in the capital of neighbouring Kenya, where high-rise buildings shook as did coffee tables and chandeliers in people’s homes.

It was also reported in the south-eastern Kenyan town of Voi.

The National Earthquake Information Centre of the US Geological Survey gave the quake a preliminary reading of 6.0 on the Richter scale.

Don Blakeman, an earthquake analyst at the centre, said in a telephone interview he was still analysing the activity.

Since Thursday, “this is the seventh earthquake that is above 4.4,” Blakeman said.

“This last one is pretty large. I would expect some more in the coming days, weeks, months but we cannot predict when.”