Five dead, 1000 homes lost in PNG earthquake

At least five people were killed and an estimated 1000 homes destroyed when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked Papua New Guinea.

People on a makeshift bridge in the flooded Angriman Village in Angoram District, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Picture: AFP / PNG Police.

At least five people were killed and an estimated 1000 homes destroyed when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked Papua New Guinea, officials said on Monday as disaster crews poured into the region.

Dozens of villages on the banks of the Sepik River were already battling floods when the quake struck early on Sunday.

“So far, around 1000 homes have been lost,” said East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, adding that emergency crews were “still assessing the impact” from a tremor that “damaged most parts of the province”.

Provincial police commander Christopher Tamari said authorities had so far recorded five deaths. But he cautioned that, with emergency crews still venturing into the region, the number of fatalities “could be more”.

Photos showed damaged wooden houses with thatched roofs collapsing into the surrounding knee-high floodwaters.

Mr Bird said there was a pressing need to get medical supplies, clean water and temporary shelter into the disaster zone.

Prime Minister James Marape has approved a $US130m ($199m) emergency funding package to help recovery efforts following “a spate of natural disasters” across the country.

“Papua New Guinea has been recently hit hard by (the) earthquake, flooding caused by heavy rain and ensuing landslips, king tides, strong winds, and others,” he said following the quake.

Flooding, landslides and torrential rains earlier this month killed at least 23 people in Papua New Guinea’s interior Highlands region.

Earthquakes are common in PNG, which sits on top of the seismic Ring of Fire – an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Although they seldom cause widespread damage they can trigger destructive landslides.

AFP