Earthquake

It struck at the shallow depth of 0.9km (0.6 miles) and its epicentre was near the city of Ridgecrest, about 240km north-east of Los Angeles.

A 6.4 magnitude quake hit the same region on Thursday at a depth of nearly 11km.

As yet, there have been no reports of casualties or of major damage.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said nobody had been killed or injured. A statement after the latest quake said the authorities had seen "no major infrastructure damage" after a survey of the city.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Yibin in Changning County, south-east of the provincial capital Chengdu, late on Monday, officials said.

It was followed by several powerful aftershocks.

TV footage showed rescuers pulling injured people from the rubble of collapsed buildings.

More than 4,000 people have had to be relocated because their homes were destroyed or damaged, state media reported.

China Central Television showed the aftermath of a landslide that had blocked a road and left a lorry engulfed in debris.

PNG Power Ltd has reported power failure with minor damage to power houses, especially Ramu and Baiune IPP.

There were also reports of transformers on fire.

“We have confirmed that our people are unharmed though thorough checks are underway,” PPL said.

“Our machines are all out at this point and are being assessed before we attempt restoration.”

The Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory (PMGO) reported that the earthquake occurred at 7.19m today with a depth of 126km, just 283km NW of Port Moresby.

The event impacted almost 550,000 people, displaced almost 20,000, and destroyed roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and other vital public infrastructure. It increased an already precarious food insecurity situation by damaging garden plots and interrupting water supplies.

Many of the 200 aftershocks measuring between M4.5 and M5.5 caused widespread panic among the affected population and continue to do so.

The quake struck at a depth of 53 kilometers with an epicenter some 15 km southwest of Coquimbo, USGS said.

An elderly man and an elderly woman from Coquimbo suffered cardiac arrests as a result of the quake, police said, while there were several landslides reported on national highways.

The earthquake, which hit at 0132 GMT (Sunday), was felt in Valparaiso, O'Higgins and the region of the capital Santiago, as well as in Atacama and Coquimbo up north.

GeoNet has reported the quake was a magnitude 6.7, although it was centered at a depth of 193km.

Parliament has been suspended after the quake.

More than 15,000 people have already reported feeling the quake on GeoNet.

GNS Science duty siesmologist Lara Bland warned local residents to expect aftershocks.

Ms Bland said longer, rolling quakes tend to produce fewer aftershocks but there would "certainly" be some coming.

Civil Defence said there is no tsunami threat.

The Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory (PMGO) says the earthquake, which occurred about 40km South-West of Pomio, was a result of interaction between the South Bismarck and Solomon Plates.

“The earthquake was felt in Rabaul but no damage from this earthquake has been reported, however, communications in the Pomio area are challenging,” said the PMGO.

“Based on the available data, it is unlikely that this earthquake would have generated a tsunami. 

A tsunami warning was sent out - lasting just over 30 minutes - but it appears to have drastically underestimated the scale of the tsunami that would follow. So what went wrong?

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurred just off the island of Sulawesi at 18:03 local time (10:03 GMT) on Friday, triggering dozens of aftershocks.

Indonesia's meteorological and geophysics agency BMKG issued a tsunami warning just after the initial quake, warning of potential waves of 0.5 to three metres.

But it lifted the warning just over 30 minutes later.

Waves of up to 2m (6.6ft) high swept through Palu on Sulawesi island.

Video on social media shows people screaming and fleeing in panic and a mosque amongst the buildings damaged.

Last month, a series of deadly earthquakes struck the Indonesian island of Lombok, with the biggest, on 5 August, killing more than 460.

Indonesia's disaster agency said at least 48 people have been killed from the latest quake but that the figure could rise.

Hundreds of people have been wounded by the quake, disaster management officials added.

The 7 magnitude tremor damaged thousands of buildings and triggered power cuts.

On the neighbouring island of Bali, video footage showed people running from their homes screaming.

It comes a week after another quake hit Lombok, a popular tourist site for its beaches and hiking trails, killing at least 16 people.

The US Geological Survey said the latest quake, off the north coast of Lombok, struck 10km (6.21 miles) underground.