A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred at 03:44 am on Monday (26 February) in the Southern Highlands region, about 30km South of Tari and about 40km North-West of Lake Kutubu.
Governor for Hela Province, Philip Undialu, told this newsroom that an unconfirmed number of people have been injured while communication with authorities in Hela has been lost.
Undialu said health and education infrastructure have also been damaged and the province is looking at a temporary shutdown of vital services until further notice.
