Earthquake hits Malawi, killing at least 5, injuring about 200
Pastor Dale Morgan
Earthquake hits Malawi, killing at least 5, injuring about 200*
By RAPHAEL TENTHANI
The Associated Press
Sunday, December 20, 2009; 9:36 AM
BLANTYRE, Malawi -- A strong earthquake destroyed several buildings in
Malawi on Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring about 200, a
government official said.
The quake struck the southeast African country at 1:19 a.m., and the
victims included students who were sleeping in a dormitory at a
government school, said Gasten Macheka, the commissioner of Karonga
district.
Macheka said about 270,000 people have been urged to leave their homes
for their safety, and that the hard-hit district in northern Malawi
urgently needs at least 48,000 tents and medical supplies.
"This is a crisis," he said. "We are asking everyone in Karonga not to
be in houses or near houses because the situation is unstable. We are
appealing to the government and the international community to help us
as a matter of urgency."
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Macheka said at least five people were killed and 200 injured. Many of
the victims were treated for injuries such as broken bones and skin
lacerations at Karonga District Hospital, but dozens of others were
hospitalized there or evacuated to a hospital in Mzuzu city, about 140
miles (230 kilometers) from the epicenter, he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.0, making
it strong enough to cause severe damage.
Officials from Malawi's Department of Relief and Disaster Management
Affairs were flying to the area to survey the damage, and the Malawi Red
Cross was taking tents from the capital, Lilongwe, to the displaced in
Karonga district.
The district has been hit by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks
since the beginning of December.
Leonard Kalindekafe, the director of Malawi's Department of Geological
Surveys, said Sunday's quake was worse than any other. However, earlier
this month an earthquake nearly as strong - a 5.9-magnitude - demolished
several houses in Karonga district, killing a child and injuring six people.
Kalindekafe said the area had been expecting aftershocks, "but we are
surprised at the massive one" that hit Sunday. "It's now really chaotic.
We can't tell what's going to happen," he said.
The district lies on the Great Rift Valley fault line, which may now be
realigning itself, making it more unstable than it has been for a long
time, said Kalindekafe.
"This is being caused by what we call the rejuvenation of the fault
lines, or new faults are being formed," he said.