Emergency workers survey damage in Melbourne, Australia, where debris is scattered on a road after part of a wall fell from a building during an earthquake, on Sept. 22.James Ross/The Associated Press
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused slight damage in suburban Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia.
The quake hit about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Australia’s second-most populous city near the town of Mansfield at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), Geoscience Australia said.
Minor structural damage to chimneys, facades and older buildings was reported around the Melbourne metropolitan area. A hospital near the epicenter lost power, and fallen bricks littered some city streets.
Seismology Research Centre Chief Scientist Adam Pascale said it was the largest onshore quake in Victoria’s recorded history.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were no reports of serious injury.
The earthquake was the largest to rattle Australia since a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 210 kilometers (130 miles) off the northwest coastal town of Broome in 2019.
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