A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Melbourne in southern Australia Wednesday. The Victoria State Emergency Service said the quake's epicenter was near Mansfield in Victoria.
Officials said the quake had caused some structural damage in nearby cities. Residents were able to take footage of the quake, which damaged some buildings and power lines.
Videos on social media posted by residents showed people running out on the streets following the earthquake. There was also footage of some damaged buildings along Chapel Street in Melbourne. Residents in northern parts of Melbourne, reportedly, lost power.
As Australia sites in the center of a tectonic plate, earthquakes in the country are very rare - unlike its neighbor New Zealand. For this reason, residents were quite surprised and shocked as the ground beneath them shook. Melbourne - Australia's second-largest city - has not experienced an earthquake this strong in decades.
"It can be a very disturbing event, an earthquake of this nature. They are very rare events in Australia and as a result, I am sure people would have been quite distressed and disturbed," one resident said.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded in Australia was a 6.6-magnitude quake in the Northern Territory in 1988.
Apparently near Betty's Burgers, Chapel Street (appears to check out looking at Google Maps / StreetView to verify).#melbournequake pic.twitter.com/KTF3atdXN4 — El Yobo (@elyobo) September 21, 2021
Officials said no casualties or injuries have so far been reported. They also announced that there was no tsunami threat. Geoscience Australia said that there were some aftershocks following the main quake, including one with a 4.0 magnitude.
"We have had no reports of serious injuries, or worse, and that is very good news and we hope that good news will continue," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in an interview.
The initial quake was reportedly felt as far away as Adelaide, nearly 800 kilometers from Melbourne. Residents in Sydney, more than 900 kilometers away, were also able to feel the tremors.
The earthquake in Melbourne comes just a day after protests erupted in the city over the government's strict months-long movement restrictions, which were put in place because of a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Protestors blocked off major roads in the city with some clashing with police. The recent protests were some of the worst and most violent demonstrations seen in the city in years.
