At least five people were killed and around 1,000 homes destroyed by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that shook northern Papua New Guinea on Sunday, authorities said Monday.
The latter recorded five deaths but the toll could be
“higher”
, the police commander of Eastern Sepik province, Christopher Tamari, told AFP.
The regional governor, Allan Bird, reported
“around 1,000 houses lost”
, adding that the emergency services were still
“measuring the consequences”
of the tremors which
“caused damage”
almost everywhere in the province.
Dozens of villages nestled on the banks of the Sepik River were already experiencing major flooding when the earthquake struck early Sunday.
Area of intense tectonic activity
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.
Although they usually cause only limited damage in sparsely populated jungle highlands, they can cause destructive landslides.
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.