'5.7-magnitude quake strikes L. Tanganyika region'

PIC: Fishermen on Lake Tanganyika. (Source: Wikipedia)

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit near Africa's Lake Tanganyika early Friday, the US Geological Survey said, with the epicentre in northen Zambia.

The quake, which was 10 kilometres (six miles) deep, struck at 00:32 GMT about 45 kilometres from the Zambian town of Kaputa, which lies near the borders of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In December 2005, a powerful earthquake struck the Lake Tanganyika region of East Africa.

That 6.8-magnitude quake shook buildings in cities throughout the east and central African region.

Much of the eastern African region lies in the Great Rift Valley, a massive geographical feature created by shifting of tectonic plates and volcanic activity.