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MELBOURNE, Australia – (AP) – A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused light damage in suburbs of Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful tremor for Australia.
The quake struck about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Australia’s second most populous city, near the city of Mansfield, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), Geoscience Australia reported.
Minor structural damage to chimneys, facades and older buildings has been reported in the Melbourne metropolitan area. A hospital near the epicenter lost power and fallen bricks littered some of the city’s streets.
The chief scientist of the Seismology Research Center, Adam Pascale, said it was the largest earthquake in Victoria’s history.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said no serious injuries had been reported.
The earthquake was the largest to shake 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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