At least 18 people died in an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale in Papua New Guinea, local authorities said.
The earthquake occurred on Tuesday in a remote mountain area, about 600 km from the capital, Port Morsby. It was followed by two secondary quakes with a magnitude above 5 on the Richter that forced people to leave their homes due to landslide fears.
Blocked roads, cracked airplane lanes and disrupted communication make it difficult for the authorities to identify the number of victims and deliver aid to at least 150,000 people in distress. Just a week ago, a massive earthquake in the same area killed more than 60 people.