Up to 39 killed as earthquakes hit Rwanda, Congo
Last Updated: Sunday, February 3, 2008 | 8:41 AM ET
CBC News
At least 39 people were killed and hundreds injured when two earthquakes struck hours apart on Sunday in Rwanda and neighbouring Congo.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 6.0, struck Congo early Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A magnitude-5.0 tremor struck southwestern Rwanda a few hours later.
Ten people died when a church collapsed in rural Rusizi district near the Congolese border, Rwandan radio reported.
Thirty-four people were killed and 231 wounded in Rwanda, according to a Ministry of Health hot line.
Across the border in the lakeside city of Bukavu, Mayor Raisi Kunda said five people were killed and 149 wounded there.
The tremor that rattled Rwanda was felt 200 kilometres away in the capital, Kigali. It also shook neighbouring Burundi to the south, temporarily disrupting hydroelectric power.
The area where the quakes hit is part of Africa's Great Rift Valley, which includes a seismically active fault line.
With files from the Associated Press
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