Casualties Due to Devastating Earthquake in Papua New Guinea

Three people, including two children, have died as a result of an earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning, according to the RNZ news website from New Zealand on Monday. The earthquake caused complete or partial destruction of over 90 homes in the area closest to the epicenter. The report indicated that the fatalities were not only due to the earthquake itself but were also linked to flooding in the epicenter area over the previous several days. Local media reported that one of the deceased children fell into floodwaters when a piece of a house wall collapsed on them due to the earthquake, leading to drowning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 and its epicenter was at a depth of just over 40 kilometers.