At the time, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said Sunday's earthquake struck in the remote East Sepik province in northern Papua New Guinea and was at a depth of 65 kilometers.
The earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea has left many homes submerged in floodwaters across East Sepik province. Photo: ABC
“About 1,000 homes have been lost so far,” East Sepik Governor Allan Bird said, adding that rescue teams were “still assessing the impact” from an earthquake that “damaged most parts of the province”.
Dozens of villages nestled along the country's Sepik River faced massive flooding when the earthquake struck early Sunday morning.
Provincial police commander Christopher Tamari told AFP that authorities had recorded five deaths but the death toll “could rise”. Photos taken after the quake showed damaged wooden houses collapsing into surrounding knee-high floodwaters.
Earthquakes are frequent in Papua New Guinea, which lies on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Although they rarely cause widespread damage in sparsely populated highland forest areas, they can trigger devastating landslides.
Many of the island nation's 9 million citizens live outside major towns and cities, where difficult terrain and a lack of roads can hamper search and rescue efforts.
Huy Hoang (Ndtv, AFP, Reuters)
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