A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne Wednesday, causing damage to buildings and forcing residents to evacuate across the city.
The earthquake is reportedly one of the country’s biggest on record, causing damage to buildings in the country’s second-largest city and sending tremors throughout neighboring states.
The earthquake hit at about 9.15am at a depth of 10km, according to Geoscience Australia.
There is no tsunami threat, Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre issued a notice.
The tremor was felt across Victoria, in Canberra, and even in parts of New South Wales, including in Sydney.
Victoria State Emergency Service said aftershocks continued to be felt throughout the morning.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there have been “no reports of serious injuries” so far after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday.
“At this stage, we have had no reports of serious injuries or worse, and that is very good news and we hope that that good news will continue,” Morrison, who is currently on a state visit to the United States, told reporters in Washington.
Quakes are relatively unusual in Australia’s populated east due to its position in the middle of the Indo-Australian Tectonic Plate, according to Geoscience Australia. The quake on Wednesday measured higher than the country’s deadliest tremor, a 5.6 in Newcastle in 1989, which resulted in 13 deaths.
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