Officials have disclosed that an estimated 1,000 homes have been destroyed after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit flood-stricken northern Papua New Guinea, and at least 5 people have died.
Emergency crews are“still assessing the impact” from a tremor that “damaged most parts of the province,” “So far, around 1,000 homes have been lost,” said East Sepik Governor Allan Bird.
US$130 million emergency funding package to help recovery efforts following “a spate of natural disasters” across the country has been approved by Prime Minister James Marape.
“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,” the PM said in a statement Sunday evening following the quake.
Provincial police commander Christopher Tamari spoke with AFP where he revealed that authorities had so far recorded five deaths in the aftermath of the disaster.
However, he added, with emergency crews still venturing into the remote and jungle-clad region, the number of fatalities “could be more”.
Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, 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.
Many of the island nation’s nine million citizens live outside major towns and cities, where the difficult terrain and lack of sealed roads can seriously hamstring search-and-rescue efforts.
Papua New Guinea is ranked as the world’s 16th most at-risk country to climate change and natural hazards, according to the 2022 World Risk Index.