Earthquake shakes eastern Congo

A magnitude-5.7 quake shook eastern Congo's Lake Albert region on Monday near the Uganda border, a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no reports of deaths or injuries.

Photo: Earthquake shakes eastern Congo

The tremor was also registered by the Volcanic Observatory of Goma in eastern Congo. "It was a fairly strong tremor which was felt in the Congo near the town of Beni, but was quite weak on the Ugandan side," said Celestin Kasereka, who heads the observatory.

According to the USGS, the earthquake hit at 4:33 a.m. local time at 1,800 kilometers (1120 miles) from Congo's capital of Kinshasa. Measurements taken by the observatory showed the quake lasted for nearly five seconds.

Kasereka said it was not known if anyone had been killed or injured.

The last earthquake in Congo hit Dec. 5 in the southeastern town of Kalemie. It was a magnitude-6.7 quake which claimed nine lives.

In Uganda, officials said the tremor was almost imperceptible, reports AP.

"We have not received reports of any damage in parts of the country. It was a very slight tremor, I think most people even slept through it," said Uganda's chief fire officer Joseph Mugisa.