More than a dozen dead in Tanzania quake

"The toll has climbed from 11 people dead to 14, and from 192 injured to 203," said Deodatus Kinawilo, District Commissioner for Bukoba, a town close to the epicenter of the quake, on Sunday.

The deadly 5.7 magnitude tremor jolted northwestern Tanzania on Saturday. The quake struck at 3:27 pm local time (1227 UTC), about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of the northwestern town of Nsunga on the border of Lake Victoria.

"For now, the situation is calm and under control," Kinawilo added. "Some people have been discharged from hospital. We don't expect many more injuries," he told the AFP news agency.

The neighboring countries Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya also felt shockwaves from the quake.

"The walls of my home shook as well as the fridge and the cupboards," said an unnamed AFP correspondent in the Ugandan capital, Kampala - about 150 miles away.

Emelensiana Benjamin, a resident of Bukoba, said houses there were so badly cracked that residents were afraid to enter them.

"We fear that they might crumble any time," she said.

Earthquakes are fairly common in the so-called Great Lakes region, but are usually of low intensity.

President 'shocked'

Tanzanian President John Magufuli's office issued a statement saying the president was surprised by the depth of the destruction.

"The president is shocked at the reports of the incident that has resulted in the loss of several people, and many others injured and property destroyed," the statement said.

shs, bik/ (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP)