A second, 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea early Wednesday. It hit close to the epicenter of last week’s disaster that killed 55 persons, toppled houses and had   resultant landslides crushing Southern Highland villages.

Last Monday’s magnitude 7.5 quake had left the country’s aid agencies scrambling to provide emergency supplies to the remote region. Now, Wednesday’s quake is the most severe of the aftershocks that have rattled the resource-rich region which is located about 600 kilometres north-west of the country’s capital, Port Moresby.

William Bando,  Sole Administrator of Hela Province said initial reports and estimates put the death toll of the second earthquake at 18 and expressed fears that the figure was likely to increase as the affected villages were densely populated.

“It appears Hides was hardest hit. We haven’t heard about potential casualties there yet, but it is a big village with many people,” Bando said.

Although the New Zealand  and Australian governments have promised to increase their aid services to the affected areas, rescue efforts were being hampered as emergency workers have been struggling to reach the highlands as many roads were either badly damaged or blocked.

The International Red Cross however warns that the situation could deteriorate if heavy rains continue in the region, adding that from its initial estimates, as many as 143, 000 people could have been affected, with an estimated 500 injured and 17,000 others displaced from their homes.