On September 22, Australians were jolted awake by an earthquake of magnitude 6.0, that struck near Melbourne. The quake left a trail of destruction in its wake, causing widespread structural damage in the country’s second-largest city. Geologists say that the quake is the largest in Southeast Australia since the 1800s.
The quake's epicenter was near the remote town of Mansfield, located approximately 200 km away from Melbourne. The depth of the quake was 10 km. Cities located 600 miles from the epicenter, including Adelaide and Sydney, felt tremors. The above-mentioned cities contribute to more than half of Australia’s population. Despite this, neither fatalities nor casualties were reported.
In a public statement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised the good news of no harm done to human life and thanked the rescue workers for their efforts. Morrison is currently in Washington DC to attend a meeting with the world leaders. The mayor of Mansfield, Mark Holcombe said he was unaware of any damage claims in the town.
The tremors brought down power lines which resulted in outages in many parts of the city. Several buildings including hospitals and offices were evacuated. Images, videos, and survivor accounts depicting the destructive nature of the quakes have gone viral on social media.
Australia's populated east is relatively quiet when it comes to earthquakes since it lies at the center of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate. The recent quake measured twice as strong as the deadliest earthquake recorded, a 5.6 in 1989 that struck Newcastle, and led to the deaths of 13 civilians. For Australians, this remains a grave cause for concern because they believe their country is yet to face the worst of the worst.
Despite the 6.0 magnitude, no Tsunami threat was issued to the Australian mainland, islands, or territories. The earthquake has brought the ongoing nationwide anti-lockdown protests to an abrupt halt. This comes as a relief to many as the protests turned violent on the third day.
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