A strong earthquake in Oceania, of magnitude 7.6, in Papua New Guinea,
after a warning of a possible Tsunami, the alert has returned:
the hypocenter at a depth of 91 km deep.
There would have been damage to buildings but no injuries.
Moments of panic for the population in the videos that immediately began to circulate on the network.
The area is part of the so -called
"ring of fire" of the Pacific
, an arc of seismic faults around the ocean where most of the earthquakes and volcanic activity in the world occur: in neighboring Indonesia the 2004 earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 which
caused a massive tsunami killing 220,000 people across the region
.
Damage to homes in the city of Madang and inland, the USGS - the United States Geological Institute - withdrew the tsunami alert but warned that "
minor sea level fluctuations may occur
in coastal areas".
A video probably shot with a smartphone by a local resident, with excited and worried voices in the background,
shows a chasm
that has opened onto a road due to the strong shock.
Witnesses on the spot told the AFP news agency that they felt
the earth "tremble very strongly"
.
(ApPhoto)
Earthquake in Papua New Guinea
According to local news agencies, it is still early to assess whether there have been more serious consequences for the earthquake,
Felix Taranu, a seismologist
at the Geophysical Observatory in the capital, Port Moresby, said that it still takes time "to know the impacts. of the earthquake on Sunday, even if its strength means it most likely caused considerable damage. "
According to the seismologist, there are many settlements scattered throughout the highlands and
"tens of thousands of people may have been affected".