An quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 has shaken Tanzania in East Africa.

A 5.7 magnitude natural disaster hits northwest Tanzania on Saturday afternoon at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey reported.

A statement from the Tanzanian president's office voiced shock and grief over the loss of life and property but did not provide details.

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"We now have 11 people dead and more than 100 injured, several of whom have been hospitalized. rescue operations are ongoing", Augustine Ollomi, the Kagera province police chief in charge of the Bukoba district said by telephone.

Most parts of East Africa also felt the tremor including Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya. Seismic waves from deep quakes have to travel farther to the surface, losing energy along the way, while the shaking from shallow quakes is more intense.

Widespread damage was reported following the quake, which also rocked the neighbouring regions of Mwanza, Mara and Simiyu.