7 dead in Papua New Guinea earthquake
Xinhua News Agency, Sydney, September 12 (Reporter Hao Yalin and Wang Qi) Port Moresby News: Papua New Guinea, a South Pacific island country, said on the 12th that the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the country on the morning of the 11th local time has killed at least 7 people die.
Police said the worst hit were parts of Morro Bay, Eastern Highlands and Madang provinces. Of the seven people killed, six were in Morrobe province and one was in Madang province. In the Eastern Highlands province, some students were injured on campus and were taken to hospital. The specific casualty situation is still being counted. The police, the National Defense Forces and relevant government departments have dispatched personnel to coordinate disaster relief at the national command center in the capital, Port Moresby.
The quake caused damage to buildings and roads, and caused multiple landslides, police said. Damage to parts of the Lamu hydropower plant in the Eastern Highlands led to power outages in the three provinces. Police have received no reports of damage to aviation facilities, and the regional commercial airport remains operational.
Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner Manning said the risk of aftershocks remained high. He called on the public to remain vigilant and avoid going to areas where landslides may occur or coastal areas that may be hit by tsunamis.
The Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea said recently that there are no reports of casualties of Chinese citizens in Papua New Guinea, and no reports of serious losses to local Chinese-funded enterprises and overseas Chinese. If necessary, the embassy will take all necessary measures to provide protection and assistance to local Chinese citizens and Chinese-funded institutions.
[Editor in charge: Liu Yang]
