A 7.6-magnitude earthquake has struck Papua New Guinea, damaging buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least 5 civilians and injur...
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake has struck Papua New Guinea, damaging buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least 5 civilians and injuring several others.
According to the report of the foreign news agency 'AFP', residents of the northern towns near the epicenter reported strong earthquake tremors in the morning, which caused cracks in the roads and roofs of buildings were blown off.
At least 2 people have died in remote mountain villages, while at least 4 others have been airlifted to hospital in critical condition, local MP Casey Sawang said.
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He said that there was extensive damage, houses were buried due to landslides and people lost their homes in one village.
The earthquake-affected area has very limited means of communication, limited government resources and few paved roads, which makes it difficult to assess the damage situation and rescue operations in the area.
Small aviation companies and missionary groups are trying to rescue some of the injured by airlifting them from the area.
A Manolos Aviation worker who tried to rescue and return a person said that in this region, during this weather, rescue operations are very difficult, it is challenging.
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In the eastern mountain town of Goroka, residents took photos of window panes falling from the battered walls of the local university.
Speaking about the magnitude of the earthquake, a worker at Jais Abeen Resort said that the intensity was so high, it seemed as if everything was floating in the sea.
The tremors were felt as far as the capital, Port Moresby, about 480 kilometers from its epicenter.
The US Geological Survey issued a tsunami warning for nearby coastal areas immediately after the quake, but later withdrew the warning, saying the danger had passed.
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However, frightened locals living near the sea rushed to higher ground reporting that the water level on the shore had suddenly dropped considerably.
'Powerful Earthquake'
National leader James Marap said the quake was very strong, urging people to be careful, saying damage was expected to be less than the 2018 quake that killed at least 126 people.
James Marape said that national and provincial disaster agencies as well as leaders have been asked to address the damage and injuries to the people as soon as possible.
According to the US Geological Survey, the depth of the earthquake was 61 km, which was about 67 km from the city of Kenanto.
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Papua New Guinea is located in the region known as the 'Ring of Fire' of the Pacific Ocean, due to which earthquakes are frequent in this region.
Earlier on Sunday, the US Geological Survey also reported two strong earthquakes in the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra in neighboring Indonesia, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
It should be noted that in 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused a tsunami, which killed 220,000 people in the entire region, including about 170,000 people in Indonesia.
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