Papua New Guinea quake toll put at 15
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — An earthquake this week killed at least 15 people, injured dozens and brought work to a halt at four oil and gas fields in a remote Papua New Guinea region, the governor said Wednesday.
His comments were the first confirmation of deaths from a high-ranking official after Monday’s magnitude-7.5 quake severed communications and blocked roads in the central region, hindering assessment of the scale of the destruction. Southern Highlands Gov. William Powi said communication remains difficult and the death toll may rise.
“We are looking at massive, catastrophic havoc and destruction,” Powi said.
Four people in the provincial capital, Mendi, were killed when a house collapsed on them, and three were killed when a home was struck by a landslide, Powi said. Eight others were killed elsewhere, he said, and the quake’s victims included several children and a teenager.
Powi said three oil fields and a liquefied natural-gas plant run by ExxonMobil Papua New Guinea have halted operations for now as they assess the damage to their operations.
The quake also has disrupted work at a large gold mine and at coffee plantations.
The quake hit about 55 miles southwest of Porgera, the site of a large gold mine that employs more than 2,500.