Papua New Guinea: five dead and 1000 houses destroyed after earthquake. Photos taken after the earthquake showed wooden houses collapsing in floodwaters, rising to knee level.
Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a zone of intense tectonic activity that stretches from southeast Asia to the Pacific. Many of the country's nine million people live outside major cities, where difficult topography and a lack of safe roads can hamper search efforts.