Papua New Guinea

At least three people were killed after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea’s northwestern East Sepik province, on Monday (April 3), as per media reports. The earthquake hit a remote part of the Pacific Island just before dawn at 4:00 am (local time). The country’s National Disaster Centre also said dozens of homes in the area were affected as emergency crews continued to assess the damage across difficult terrain.

Advertisment

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck at a depth of 62 kilometres near the Chambri Lake system in the sparsely populated region of East Sepik Province of PNG. A spokesman for the country’s Natural Disaster Centre said one person had died in Wewak, while two people had died in Angoram district, as per Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 

The news was also confirmed by the local councillor in Angoram district, Darren Mai, who said the two dead were family members, reported Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Furthermore, those injured were flown by NGO Samaritan Aviation’s seaplanes on the Sepik River for medical attention. 

A member of parliament in the area, Johnson Wapunai took to social media and warned people saying, “Chambri lake is boiling and the continuous quake is still happening right now.” He also urged people to watch out for falling objects or trees and to be on alert for further seismic activity, reported AFP. 

Advertisment

A local resident named Colles Pinga who lives north of the epicentre told Australian Broadcasting Corporation, three houses had collapsed in his village and families have been injured. He added, “There’s landslides along the riverbanks...it’s quite frightening”. 

Natural Disaster Centre’s Colonel Carl Wrakonei also told the Australian media outlet that the earthquake had impacted all six districts of East Sepik and that they are unable to cover all of them. “One of the challenges is mobility and accessibility, it's going to be difficult,” reported  Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 

According to AFP, the quake on Monday also left cracks in the interior floods of the new regional hospital which was under construction and nearly completed and dislodged some of the building’s paving stones. 

Advertisment

(With inputs from agencies) 

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.