6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Papua New Guinea, GFZ Research Centre Says
The natural disaster, with a depth of 195.3 km, was initially determined to be at 5.49 degrees south latitude and 147.52 degrees east longitude.
The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences has reported that a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the Papua New Guinea Region at 08:41 GMT on Thursday morning.
The natural disaster, with a depth of 195.3 km, was initially determined to be at 5.49 degrees south latitude and 147.52 degrees east longitude.
In August, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) also reported that a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck Jordan and Syria, with tremors also felt in Lebanon.
The GFZ said that the earthquake, initially estimated at 5.46 magnitude, was later revised to 4.8. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) and caused noticeable impacts across the affected regions.
Reuters reports that at least 25 people sustained minor to moderate injuries due to stampeding following the August earthquake, according to Maher Younis, Health Director of Hama, Syria.
Meanwhile, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that the earthquake’s epicentre was located east of Hama.
In Salamiya, a town about 30 km (18.5 miles) east of Hama city, residents fled into the dark streets in panic, according to Nasser Duyub, a local state employee.
“My son was asleep, and I don’t know how I managed to grab him and get out of the house,” Duyub told Reuters.
Witnesses described seeing a balcony collapse and ambulances treating people who had fainted.
The earthquake triggered immediate memories of the 2023 disaster when a 7.8 magnitude quake caused widespread devastation, killing over 50,000 people, mostly in Turkey but also in northern Syria.