Papua New Guine earth quake: aftershocks continue, death toll reaches 55
(VOVWORLD) - Strong aftershocks rocked Papua New Guinea’s remote and rugged highlands on Monday, as the death toll from a 7.5-magnitude earthquake a week ago reached 55, and is expected to rise further.
Three aftershocks of a magnitude greater than 5 shook the mountainous Southern Highlands, about 560 km northwest of the capital Port Moresby early on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, including a shallow magnitude 6 quake. Most of the confirmed fatalities were in and around the provincial capital of Mendi and the township of Tari, where landslides buried homes and buildings collapsed on families. While the region has no major urban centres, around 670,000 people live within 100 km of the epicentre, according to the Red Cross. Aid agencies have said nearly 150,000 people remain in urgent need of emergency supplies.
The quake has been felt on global natural gas markets, with ExxonMobil Corp declaring force majeure on exports from Papua New Guinea, pushing Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices 5 percent higher.