5.3 earthquake shakes parts of southwestern Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda – The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 has hit southwestern Uganda.

It said the epicenter of the earthquake early Sunday was 39 kilometres (24 miles) west of the western Ugandan town of Rubirizi. The quake, occurring at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), was also felt in parts of northern Tanzania.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths from the quake.

Earthquakes have been rare in this region but it has been experiencing some seismological activity as companies search for oil in the Lake Albert area along Uganda’s border with Congo.

In September 2016, a 5.7 earthquake hit East Africa’s Lake Victoria region, killing at least 11 people in Tanzania and damaging property in Uganda.