Reuters
Mon Feb 26 2018
A supplied image shows locals inspecting a landslide and damage to a road located near the township of Tabubil after an earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea's Southern Highlands, February 26, 2018. - Jerome Kay/Handout via REUTERS
At least one company began evacuating non-essential personnel after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea's energy-rich interior on Monday, causing landslides, damaging buildings and closing oil and gas operations.
The tremor hit in the rugged, heavily forested Southern Highlands about 560 km (350 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, at around 3.45 a.m. local time (1545 GMT Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A spokesman at Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre said by telephone the affected area was very remote and the agency could not properly assess damage until communication was re-established.
He said there were no confirmed casualties, although the International Red Cross (IRC) in Papua New Guinea said some reports indicated there were "fears of human casualties". (Graphics on 'Papua New Guinea Quake' - http://tmsnrt.rs/2t0Li3o)
"It’s very serious all across the Southern Highlands and also all over the western highlands. People are definitely very frightened," Udaya Regmi, the head of the IRC in Papua New Guinea, said by telephone from Port Moresby.
The PNG government also said it had sent disaster assessment teams. At least 13 aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.0 or more rattled the area throughout the day, according to USGS data, but no tsunami warnings were issued.
Early on Tuesday, USGS reported that another quake with a magnitude of 6.4 had hit 142 km (88 miles) from the city of Mount Hagen at a depth of about 10 km.
"The Papua New Guinea Defence Force has also been mobilised to assist with the assessment and the delivery of assistance to affected people as well as the restoration of services and infrastructure," Isaac Lupari, the chief secretary to the government, said in a statement after Monday's tremor.
ExxonMobil said it had shut its Hides gas conditioning plant and that it believed administration buildings, living quarters and a mess hall had been damaged. It also said it had suspended flights into the nearby Komo airfield until the runway could be surveyed. [nS9N1PY001]
"Due to the damage to the Hides camp quarters and continuing aftershocks, ExxonMobil PNG is putting plans in place to evacuate non-essential staff," the company said in an emailed statement.
Gas is processed at Hides and transported along a 700 km (435 miles) line that feeds a liquefied natural gas plant near Port Moresby for shipping.
PAPUA PANIC
PNG oil and gas explorer Oil Searchsaid in a statement it had also shut production in the quake-affected area.[nL4N1QF10V]
The giant Grasberg copper mine operated by the Indonesian unit of Freeport McMoRanin neighbouring Papua province was not affected, a Jakarta-based spokesman said.
However, the quake and several aftershocks caused panic in Jayapura, the capital of Indonesian Papua, Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said in a statement, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there.
The IRC's Regmi said communications were "completely down" in Tari, one of the larger settlements near the quake's epicentre, and that landslides had cut roads.
Several other aid and missionary agencies said poor communications in the area made damage and injury assessment difficult.
"The bush structures that they build tend to handle earthquakes extremely well," Christian missionary Brandon Buser told Reuters after contacting several remote villages by shortwave radio.
Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
"This is the Papuan fold-and-thrust belt, so it's a typical movement of faults in that region, but it's big," said Chris McKee, acting director of the Geohazards Management Division in Port Moresby.
Part of PNG's northern coast was devastated in 1998 by a tsunami, generated by a 7.0 quake, which killed about 2,200 people.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Pelayaran sekali lagi ditangguh, Israel didakwa terus cetus kekacauan - FFC
Rejim Israel terus-menerus mahu menghalang pergerakan kapal-kapal terlibat dalam misi ini.
Taikun Vietnam dihukum penjara 8 tahun kerana tipu pelabur AS$40 juta
Tran Qui Thanh didapati bersalah menipu pelabur berhubung pinjaman yang dikeluarkan pada 2019 dan 2020.
Negara perlu beri pengajaran tegas, haramkan Bruce Gilley
Wisma Putra wajar menggesa kedutaan AS tampil memberi penjelasan dan memohon maaf kepada rakyat serta kerajaan Malaysia.
PRK KKB: MIPP jamin PN akan terima undi terbesar kaum India
Punithan berkata, pihak lawan dilihat mula menunjukkan kebimbangan dan rasa takut dengan kekuatan yang dimiliki PN ketika ini.
Akaun Fleksibel KWSP bantu penuhi keperluan kecemasan pencarum - Pakar
Ia merupakan antara alternatif KWSP untuk memenuhi keperluan dan dana kecemasan pencarum dalam mendepani cabaran menjalani kehidupan sebelum bersara.
Trend kenaikan harga emas di Malaysia mungkin berkekalan - Penganalisis
Trend kenaikan harga emas di Malaysia mungkin akan berterusan, didorong oleh gabungan pelbagai faktor ekonomi global dan gelagat pelabur.
Capital A akan jual 100 peratus kepentingan dalam AirAsia Aviation Group, AirAsia dengan harga RM6.8 bilion
Ia memeterai perjanjian jual beli saham bersyarat dengan AAG untuk menjual AAAGL bernilai RM3 bilion manakala AAB dengan harga RM3.8 bilion.
Jawatankuasa RTG pertimbang senaraikan Nurul Izzah dalam program Fast Track RTG
Hannah berkata segala keputusan mengenai program berkenaan akan dibincangkan dan diputuskan bersama jawatankuasa program.
KWSP: Mengimbangi mandat persaraan dan sokongan kelangsungan ekonomi ahli - Pakar
Mohd Afzanizam menegaskan bahawa KWSP bukan satu-satunya organisasi yang bertanggungjawab dari segi menambah baik kehidupan masyarakat.
CAP minta kerajaan pertimbang tubuh Suruhanjaya Amal Malaysia
Mohideen berkata suruhanjaya itu pernah dicadangkan oleh bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail pada 2020.
Indonesia rattled by 7.6 magnitude quake, tsunami warning lifted
Indonesia was struck by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday off the Tanimbar islands, prompting panicked residents to flee their homes, although a tsunami warning was lifted after three hours.
Gempa Sulawesi: 45 maut, ratusan lagi cedera
Pasukan penyelamat hari ini mencari dan menyelamat mangsa-mangsa yang dikhuatiri tertimbus.
Gempa bumi 5.8 magnitud gegar Filipina, 51 cedera
Sekurangnya 51 orang cedera manakala beberapa rumah, gereja dan bangunan musnah dalam gempa bumi berukuran magnitud 5.8 yang menggegarkan selatan Filipina pagi Sabtu.
Mangsa gempa warga Malaysia di Taiwan meninggal dunia
Choo Yip Chean meninggal dunia berpunca daripada kecederaan akibat gempa bumi di Taroko Gorge National Park pada 18 April lalu.
Gempa Osaka: Tiga maut termasuk kanak-kanak
Mereka yang maut adalah seorang kanak-kanak perempuan 9 tahun dan dua lelaki warga emas.
Osaka earthquake: Three dead, more than 10 injured
An elderly man and a young girl were killed, with several others in "cardiopulmonary arrest", after walls collapsed in a magnitude-6.1 earthquake in Osaka.
Major quake cuts communications, halts oil and gas operations in Papua New Guinea
At least one company began evacuating non-essential personnel after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea's energy-rich interior on Monday.
MOSTI bangunkan standard reka bentuk bangunan tahan gempa
Standard yang dibangunkan ini akan menyediakan garis panduan kepada pihak berkuasa tempatan berkenaan reka bentuk struktur bangunan yang tahan kepada gempa bumi,- jelas kenyataan itu.
No Malaysians affected in Iran's quake
The Embassy of Malaysia in Tehran informed that no Malaysian were reported to be present at the earthquake hit area.
Selebriti dunia lahir rasa simpati terhadap mangsa gempa Nepal
Laman sosial menjadi medan reaksi para selebriti mengenai bencana gempa bumi yang melanda Nepal