Death Toll From Papua New Guinea Earthquake Climbs To 7

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Papua New Guinea has climbed to seven, police said on Monday.

A magnitude 7.6 quake was recorded in the Markham Valley on Sunday morning, followed by a magnitude 5.0 tremor some 70 kilometers (45 miles) north an hour later, according to a statement by Police Commissioner David Manning.

The US Geological Survey said the first quake struck at a depth of 90 kilometers (56 miles) beneath the surface near the Australian plate, at around 9.46 a.m. on Sunday (2346GMT Saturday).

The second tremor was "at a depth of 101 kilometers (63 miles) underground," according to Manning.

He said the "most significant damage … has been in the districts of Morobe, Eastern Highlands and Madang provinces."

"The tremors caused damage to buildings and public roads in these provinces, and a number of landslides were triggered," he added.

Six of the seven fatalities were in Morobe province, while one person died in Madang, according to the statement.

The earthquake was felt across the island nation, including the capital Port Moresby.

A UN report said the Ramu hydropower station – the country's biggest dam near Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands province – was also damaged, resulting in a total system outage across the Highlands provinces, Madang and Morobe.

"Overall, there have been reports of damage to the regional power grid, internet cables, and roads and highways," said Manning.

Buildings at the University of Goroka in the Eastern Highlands province were damaged and there are reports of injuries to students, according to the official.

"This was a significant earthquake, however, it occurred deep below ground level and this meant damage was less than if the epicenter had been closer to the surface," he added.

Manning said disaster management and other government agencies have "enabled a coordinated and immediate response."

"Aerial reconnaissance is ongoing to identify landslides in remote and rural areas," he said.

Prime Minister James Marape asserted that the government "stood ready to assist, but needed a full report of the damages."

"I know, telecommunication and electricity in some parts of the country have also been affected, and I assure citizens in affected areas that we are ready to address all this," he said at a news conference on Sunday. -