Troops respond to powerful PNG quake

Sydney: Papua New Guinea sent troops and rescue workers to respond to a powerful earthquake in the Pacific nation’s mountainous interior, with unconfirmed reports of fatalities and warnings of aftershocks and landslides.

Assessment teams headed to affected areas yesterday near the 7.5-magnitude quake’s epicentre, which the US Geological Survey said was some 90km south of Porgera in Enga province.

“It is advisable to stay out of multi-story buildings, be aware of the potential of landslides and be prepared to move to open ground in the event that an aftershock is felt,” chief secretary to the government Isaac Lupari said in a statement.

The tremor hit at a depth of 35km in the early hours of Sunday morning, US seismologists said, adding that there was no tsunami threat.

The region is home to oil and gas production. ExxonMobil PNG said buildings at its Hides Gas Conditioning Plant were damaged but all its staff were “safe and accounted for”.

Australian resources company Oil Search said its operations in the area were being shut down as a precaution and for damage assessment.

Felix Taranu, a seismologist at the Geophysical Observatory in the capital Port Moresby, said social media posts reported blackouts and damage to buildings at Porgera.

He said the quake was felt strongly at Mount Hagen, some 168km away from the epicentre, which is in rugged terrain about 612km northwest of Port Moresby.

Earthquakes are common in PNG, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. — AFP