Papua New Guinea rattled by 7.6 magnitude Earthquake
A strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck remote Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning, killing at least three people. Authorities said some people were injured and buildings were also damaged. The tremors of the earthquake were felt across the country. Morobe provincial disaster director Charley Masange said three people were killed and others were injured in a landslide in the gold-mine city of Wau. He said the quake also damaged some health centres, houses, rural roads and highways. Masange said it may take some time to ascertain the damage and casualties in the area.
He said that there was no possibility of any major disaster due to low population of the region and less tall buildings around the epicenter of the quake. At least 125 people were killed in a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in the country’s central region in 2018. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake occurred at 9:46 am local time and its epicenter was located at a depth of 90 km from the ground.
Earthquake prone area
Since 1900, the New Guinea region has recorded three earthquakes of more than 7.5 magnitude. The largest earthquake in the region occurred in Indonesia’s northern Papua province of magnitude 8.2. In which 166 people were killed in 1996. According to the information, strong earthquake tremors were also felt in Indonesia’s eastern province on Saturday. The magnitude of these earthquakes was measured between 6.2 and 5.5. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at a depth of 16 km from the ground.
