The landslides have made it exceedingly difficult for rescuers to access the most affected regions and multiple aftershocks have struck, including one measured at 6.3 magnitude. The earthquake damaged phone networks, caused widespread power losses, and blocked roads. In the Hela province, a police station, court house, hospital, and multiple private residences were reported to have been destroyed. Rivers across the affected region silted up and dammed, causing concern about future flooding, and drinking water sources are inundated by dirt and debris. The deadly landslides occurred largely in sparsely populated areas, and a tsunami was not triggered by the quake. In 1998, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake occurred near Aitape, a small town on the north coast of Papua New Guinea, which triggered a large undersea landslide that led to the formation of a a major tsunami. As a result of the earthquake and tsunami, over 2,000 people died, several villages in the north-west region were completely destroyed, a
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