Victorians have been rocked by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake - the largest in the state's history. Whilst it was unusually powerful, there were no reports of deaths or injuries and structural damage has been described as "minor". But authorities are warning residents to prepare for possible aftershocks.
Highlights
- At 9:15am Australian Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday the ground started shaking near the town of Mansfield, Victoria, about halfway between Melbourne and the border city of Wodonga.
- Tremors were also felt in South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales, with buildings evacuated in Newcastle, north of Sydney.
- There have been no reports of injuries, but damage was reported across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mansfield township, while Beechworth hospital lost power.
Authorities suspect the worst is now over, but they are warning people to remain alert. Commissioner Andrew Crisp, of Victoria Emergency Management, says aftershocks are likely.
"Geoscience Australia are reporting there will be aftershocks and we have seen a number of those already and we're likely to see those for weeks and even months."
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