NOT LESS THAN FOURTEEN PEOPLE WERE REPORTED DEAD IN A POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE THAT STRUCK PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS.

It was reported that about fourteen people have lost their lives in a powerful earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake also destroyed mining and power infrastructure, leading ExxonMobil Corp to shut its $19 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. In Mendi (the provincial capital of the Southern Highlands), two buildings collapsed and a landslide killed about 14 people. Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea. In 1998, some places in Papua New Guinea (northern coast) were destroyed and about 2,200 people were killed by a tsunami caused by a 7.0 earthquake.