One dead after huge quake shakes PNG
PORT MORESBY: – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake rattled Papua New Guinea on Sunday, damaging buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least one person, with several more severely injured.
Residents in northern towns near the epicentre reported intense shaking midmorning, cracking roads and shearing cladding off buildings.
Member of parliament Kessy Sawang reported that in the remote mountain village of Matoko one person was buried in a mud fall and had died, with several others seriHivi ously injured and flown to hospital.
She said there had been “major damages” and fears of more “injuries and deaths” in villages along the Finisterre range and in some coastal areas.
There were “people and houses buried and destroyed”, she said. In the eastern highland town of Goroka, images showed window awnings falling off the crack-riven walls of the local university.
It was “very strong”, said Apokore, a worker at the Jais Aben Resort near Madang.
“Everything was like sitting on a sea – just floating.”
The quake was felt as far away as the capital Port Moresby, about 480km away.
The US Geological Survey initially issued a tsunami warning for nearby coastal areas, but subsequently said the threat “has now passed”.
Regardless, fearful locals in coastal areas fled to higher ground – reporting that the sea level had suddenly dropped.
The nation’s leader, James Marape, urged people to remain cautious. He said he was extremely concerned by the “massive” earthquake.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected,” he said, adding that the scale of the damage or any injuries was still unclear.
“National and provincial disaster agencies, as well as leaders, have been asked to assess the damage and injuries to people and attend to these as soon as possible.”
The quake struck at a depth of 61km, about 67km from the town of Kainantu, according to the US Geological Survey.