At least three people have been killed after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit Papua New Guinea's East Sepik province.
Key points:
- Witnesses said people required medical attention and dozens of houses collapsed
- Korogu resident Colles Pinga said three houses had collapsed in his village, north of the epicentre
- The Natural Disaster Centre's Colonel Carl Wrakonei said the earthquake had impacted all six districts of East Sepik
The quake hit the remote Chambri Lake, south-west of Wewak, at a depth of 60 kilometres, just after 4am on Monday.
A spokesman for Papua New Guinea's Natural Disaster Centre said one person had died in Wewak, while two people had died in Angoram district.
A local councillor in Angoram district, Darren Mai, said the two dead were family members.
"One of the houses fell on [my family member] and her baby boy … they died instantly," he said.
According to early reports from villages in the area, people required medical attention and dozens of houses collapsed.
NGO Samaritan Aviation has been landing seaplanes on the Sepik River, where people have been taken to be flown for medical attention.
Korogu resident Colles Pinga said three houses had collapsed in his village, north of the epicentre, and families have been injured.
The Natural Disaster Centre's Colonel Carl Wrakonei said the earthquake had impacted all six districts of East Sepik.(Supplied: Colles Pinga)
"Every ten minutes now we're experiencing shakes," he said on Monday morning.
"People are afraid … everything is very quiet."
"There's landslides along the riverbanks … it's quite frightening."
The Natural Disaster Centre's Colonel Carl Wrakonei said the earthquake had impacted all six districts of East Sepik.
"We cannot be able to cover the whole of six districts," he said.
"One of the challenges is mobility and accessibility, it's going to be difficult."
In a statement, Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre said it was conducting assessments of provinces to work out the extent of damage and casualties.
"The National Disaster Centre is currently awaiting the reports from the provinces and will provide a report on the full extent of the damage and statistics on casualties … as soon as the reports are received."
Story first published on ABC News Australia