Several viral videos captured the moment the earth opened up during a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea.
The earthquake that hit the southwest Pacific island Sunday morning killed at least seven people and caused massive damage to infrastructure, the island’s police commissioner, David Manning, said in a statement. A second earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 hit one hour after. Citizens and surveillance cameras recorded videos of the destruction all across the island, with some showing the ground cracking.
FIVE KILLED, DOZENS INJURED AFTER STRONG EARTHQUAKE IN NORTHERN PHILIPPINES
A powerful earthquake of 7.6 magnitude ripped through Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning. Three people were killed due to the landslides triggered by the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/feP74Mpjt7
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) September 11, 2022
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center sent out an alert warning that a tsunami could result from the quake, according to Fox Weather, but it was later canceled.
The seven deaths confirmed so far were all due to landslides resulting from the earthquake, Manning said. Dozens of wounded have been reported as well. However, the earthquake occurred deep underground, which lessened the damage it could have caused.
Most deadliest #earthquake caught on cam: 7.6 magnitude quake hits #PapuaNewGuinea
For more videos, click here https://t.co/kq08X7QDH9 pic.twitter.com/TPxeIzQ9BD
— DNA (@dna) September 12, 2022
“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,” Manning said. “To put this into perspective: The Markham Valley earthquake was similar in size to the 2018 Highlands Earthquake; The difference being that the 2018 Highlands earthquake was [14.3 miles] underground, whereas the Markham Valley earthquake was [55.9 miles] below the surface.”
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Markham Valley refers to Sunday’s earthquake, while the 2018 Highlands earthquake was much more destructive, killing at least 145 people, according to the Guardian. The 2018 earthquake, at a magnitude of 7.5, was the largest ever recorded in the region, according to a research paper published in Tectonics, meaning the newest earthquake is the largest ever recorded in Papua New Guinea.
