Earthquake death toll 19, officials say

Dar es Salaam: The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake stands at 19 not 17 as earlier reported, officials have revealed.

Two people who had reportedly died at the weekend had not been counted among the earlier casualties.

Regional authorities told The Citizen yesterday that the two were from Bukoba Rural. They have been identified as Lukman Suleiman, a one-month-old baby, from Kashenye Village, and Irene Jackson from Buterankuzi Village.

Bukoba Rural council chairman Murshid Ngeze confirmed that the two were not among the 17 who had been reported dead following the earthquake that hit Kagera Region.

At least 40 people were injured in Bukoba Rural alone, according to official reports. The earthquake has so far completely destroyed 1,044 houses and partly damaged 6,281 others.

 Mr Ngeze said out of the 40 injured nine were still admitted at the district hospital and two health centres.

“Four of the victims are admitted at Izimbya District Hospital while three are receiving treatment at Katoro Health Centre. Two others are being nursed at Kanazi Health Centre,” he told The Citizen in a telephone interview.

Authorities have formed a taskforce for each of the district’s 29 wards to assess the full impact of the disaster.

Mr Ngeze, who travelled to Dar es Salaam this week in search of assistance from the central government, said response had been slow in his area after the earthquake.

He said: “We received not any speedy response from the government.  Bukoba Municipality has been the main focus for intervention. People have been helping each other but some are still sleeping in cold.”

The Red Cross team is reported to have arrived in the area to beef up humanitarian efforts. 

Regional Commissioner Maj General (rtd) Salum Kijuu said Thursday his office was still to get a full report of the earthquake’s impact in rural areas.