An update for anyone interested. The M7.4 quake that occurred in the PNG highlands 2 weeks ago was quite devastating for many people. For a week and a half after that quake, we experienced many aftershocks (probably more than 100) including a M6.2 (same as Christchurch's main quake) and a M6.7.
No official death toll has yet come out (and maybe it never will), but last week EMTV said the toll at that point was 66. I hear reports of whole villages buried by land slips and another village that used to be attached to land, has now become an island in Lake Kutubu … and apparently sinking. The school and hospital are under water and there are 1000 residents who are cut off from help. Another story is of a Year 10 high school student who had gone out fishing for breakfast. She had returned to cook the fish when the big quake struck (about 3:45am) and her kitchen (an outbuilding like we used to have in Australia years ago) collapsed on her and the hot oil spilt all over her and she was pinned down on the fire. It took 2 hours for the family to get her out but they were cut off from aid and with her with 3rd degree burns.
Relief efforts (including Medivac flights) are now, thankfully, well and truly underway and the Red Cross estimates as many as 143 000 people have been affected, with more than 500 injured and 17 000 people displaced. Yesterday there were only 3 earthquakes in the highlands and in the past 24 hours, there have been none, so everyone has fingers, toes, eyes ... everything crossed that the fault has settled down.
