James Archibald / Cape Town, Feb 24 () - Northern Zambia was hit in the early hours of this morning by an earthquake registering 5.9 on the richter scale.

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of 26.7km at 2.24am local time. The epicenter of the quake was inside a national park near to the southern shore of Lake Tanginyika and as such has not resulted in any considerable damage or injuries to people.

The quake could be felt across the border in both Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The region lies within the Great Rift Valley, which runs for 3000km from the Horn of Africa to western Mozambique and is prone to seismic activity.