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.
A spokesman at Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center said by telephone the affected area was very remote and the agency could not properly assess damage until communication was re-established, Reuters reported.
He said there were no confirmed casualties, although the International Red Cross in Papua New Guinea said some reports indicated there were “fears of human casualties”.
