Earthquakes

• An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck the Enga Province in central PAPUA NEW GUINEA on Feb. 26, causing landslides that killed at least 20 people and injured more than 300 others. Search-and-rescue operations were ongoing as of press time, with the death toll expected to rise. 

The quake and aftershocks damaged buildings, roadways and power lines, isolating many small communities.

• An earthquake measuring 7.2 struck the state of Oaxaca in MEXICO on Feb. 17. Nobody was killed, but buildings and infrastructure were damaged. The same area experienced two quakes in September 2017 that killed more than 400 people.

While inspecting damage caused by the most recent quake, a helicopter carrying local officials crashed, killing 14 people on the ground.

• A magnitude-6.4 earthquake occurred off TAIWAN’s east coast, near the city of Hualien, on Feb. 6, leaving at least 12 people dead and at least 270 injured. The tremor collapsed multiple buildings in the city of roughly 100,000 people, including an apartment building and a hotel. Bridges and roadways were closed due to damage.

Multiple aftershocks, some over 5 in magnitude, occurred in the following days.

• A magnitude-7.1 earthquake occurred off the coast of southern PERU on Jan. 14, killing at least one person and injuring more than 60 others. The quake damaged homes and roads and left some communities temporarily without power.