5.6 earthquake

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale rocked Island of Mozambique on Wednesday causing panic among the population of this district of Nampula, in the north, although no injury or damage to property was reported.According to Ismael Amade, coordinator of Community Radio Mozambique Island, the earthquake struck at 16h10m and "caused some people to panic, who then fled to the mainland side of the island, taking some of their property with them."According to the American Geophysical Institute, the quake took place in the Mozambique Channel at a depth of 15 kilometres, about 76 kilometres away from the Island of Mozambique and 202 kilometres from the provincial capital, Nampula.Although announcements on ‘Rádio Comunitária’ stated that the situation was safe, many residents nevertheless delayed their return home for fear of a tsunami.Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Island of Mozambique was the capital of the country during the colonial era, and has an estimated population of 52,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom live on the mainland side.