Social media has been flooded with pictures of destruction caused by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Victoria on Wednesday morning.
Melbourne’s main shopping strip has been likened to a “war zone” after an earthquake created chaos on Wednesday morning.
The Victorian earthquake – which was stronger than the deadly Newcastle tremble of 1989 – sent shockwaves through the state capital that were also felt as far as Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide.
A corner of Chapel Street in Melbourne’s inner Windsor suburb became littered with fallen bricks after the magnitude 5.8 tremor hit near the regional town of Mansfield at 9.15am.
“It’s like a bomb went off, the outside awnings are gone and it’s all over the street, it feels like it’s a bit of a war zone,” Betty’s Burgers managing director Troy McDonagh told the Herald Sun.
The burger chain’s Chapel Street restaurant was damaged by the earthquake and part of a wall crumbled and fell on the street below.
Images of the destruction were quickly uploaded to social media.
Several aftershocks were also reported, including a second quake about 15 minutes after the first one that was reported at a magnitude of 4.
The first quake occurred at a depth of 10km, according to the federal government’s Geoscience Australia website.
Across Victoria, people reported feeling their homes shake and items falling from bookshelves.
“Woke up to it, the kitchen and lounge felt like they were tilting sideways,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“I’m on the Mornington Peninsula and we felt it really strongly,” wrote another.
On internet forum Reddit, one Melbournian wrote: “I‘m on the 13th floor in the CBD, and my apartment just started shaking. Feels like I’m on a ship.”
“Wow that was huge. Never felt anything like that in 30 years of living in Melbourne,” another person wrote.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is in Washington for high level regional security talks, said the federal government would provide the “necessary support” for Victoria.
He also confirmed he was in contact with Premier Daniel Andrews.
“I’m pleased that reports so far that I’ve received are not of serious injuries and things of that nature. That’s very welcome news,” he said.
“But, of course, these are early reports and I remain concerned and I’ve asked the Deputy Prime Minister and the minister to keep me informed of developments.
“Regardless of whether it’s flood, bushfire, earthquake or cyclone, we have some of the best disaster response agencies anywhere in the world, if not the best.
“And I know that those who may be in distress tonight, during the day there in Melbourne and across Victoria today will be well looked after and well attended to in terms of any needs that they have.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian extended her sympathies to affected Victorians.
“Our thoughts are with everybody who’s been impacted by that earthquake in Victoria, and we know that people in NSW have even felt the tremors,” she said.
“So our thoughts of everybody and we’ve had everybody stay safe and accountable during this very difficult time.”
South Australia’s police force said the quake had been felt in Adelaide but that no damage had been reported there.
“We will continue to monitor the situation during the day as aftershocks may occur,” the police force said in a statement.
More to come.
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