Quake: 'I thought I was drunk'

2006-02-24 06:17

Beeld reporters

Johannesburg - An earthquake, which felt to some people like a "raging war", hit Mozambique in the early hours of Thursday morning, but in Maputo it did not even disturb former president Nelson Mandela who was totally oblivious of the panic caused in the northern part of the country.

Although the quake, which registered between 7.3 and 7.5 on the Richter scale and caused the death of two people and injured 13, no reports of major damage were received.

The epicentre of the earthquake was about 200km southwest of the harbour city of Beira, but the tremors were felt as far afield as Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal, Johannesburg, Tzaneen and Francistown in Botswana, according to a report from Marietie Louw.

Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel, were in Maputo on Wednesday night, but his spokesperson, Zelda la Grange, told Jan-Jan Joubert that the couple probably were asleep when the quake struck.

Half-naked people in the streets

She said: "I have spoken to him (Mandela) twice and the earthquake did not disturb him at all."

Mandela was due to return to South Africa on Friday for a family wedding.

Charles Mangwiro reports from Maputo that "total panic" reigned in Beira and towns in Manica province.

Half-naked people ran through the streets, some fled their homes and, in places, tourists fled from hotels.

In Beira, some residents spent the night outside for fear of further tremors.

Ines Almeida told Beeld the experience reminded him of the civil war waged in the country some years ago.

"I had not yet fallen asleep and felt my bed jumping about.

"My first thought was that I was drunk, but then I felt the floor moving, as well.

"I went outside and saw people running around like frightened ants," he said.

"There was total confusion, with naked and half-naked people in the streets."

The Mozambican government confirmed that a child had been killed by the earthquake and that a sick woman also died, but from shock.

Many rural areas were affected by the quake and the governor of Manica said that gathering information about damage was hampered by bad roads and a lack of communication.

Phillipa Tucker, a South African living in Beira, told Waldimar Pelser that all that came to grief in her house was a bottle of shampoo that fell over.

Power failed

"The only reason we woke up was because the air-conditioning died on us when the power failed," said Tucker.

Regarding damage to buildings in Beira, Tucker said: "Nothing more than a strong gust of wind is necessary to make some of the buildings in this town collapse.

"Here, most people have to make do with very little."

- Beeld