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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

7.5-magnitude earthquake rattles remote Papua New Guinea Monday Feb 26,2018

A powerful earthquake rattled forest villages and a large gold mine in central Papua New Guinea on Monday Feb 26,2018, and the government sent officers to the region to assess unverified reports of fatalities and check the extent of the damage

The magnitude 7.5 quake hit about 89 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Porgera, the site of a large gold mine that employs more than 2,500 residents. The area also is home to a number of oil and gas operations and coffee plantations.

ExxonMobil Papua New Guinea said it had shut down the Hides Gas Conditioning Plant, where there was damage to the administration buildings, living quarters and mess hall.

The company said it had also suspended flights from Komo airfield, which it built to service its operations, and was planning to evacuate nonessential plant staff.

Oil Search Managing Director Peter Botten said the company was closing down some production operations in the region as a precaution.

Both Oil Search and ExxonMobil said there were no reports of any injuries to their staff, and ExxonMobil said its staff was accounted for and safe.

An official at the Porgera gold mine wrote on Facebook that he planned to find out what caused power blackouts and other damage after the quake shook the whole area.
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