UN relief office gathers data on possible aid needs after quake in East Africa

The United Nations emergency relief office is gathering information on the level of assistance that may be required after an earthquake struck the Lake Tanganyika region of East Africa today.

"There appears to be some damage but the extent still remains unknown," Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said of the quake which was felt in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.

"While additional information is still being sought regarding the situation on the ground, there are concerns of poisonous gas emissions from the ground of the lake," OCHA added. "There are also fears of the possibility that the quake might have caused landslides."

OCHA's main office in Geneva is staying in contact with the regional and field offices in the affected countries.