Rare earthquake jolts Australia's Melbourne, triggers panic

Melbourne: A rare quake of 5.8 magnitude rattled southeastern Australia early Wednesday, shaking buildings, knocking down walls and sending panicked residents running into the streets.

According to Geosciences Australia, the earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10km (6.5 miles) and was initially measured at 6.0 magnitude before being revised to 5.8.

The epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in the state of Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne.

The earthquake happened about 09:15 local time today (Wednesday) at Mansfield near Victorian state capital.

Geosciences Australia said an aftershock measuring 4.0 hit shortly after the initial temblor.

Reportedly, the earthquake was also felt in neighbouring South Australia and New South Wales (NSW), although there were no reports of damage outside Melbourne and no reports of injuries.

Debris littered roads in the popular shopping area around Melbourne's Chapel Street, with bricks apparently coming loose from buildings.

The geoscience agency says Australia experiences a potentially damaging earthquake - about every 10 years.

Melbourne, the country's second largest city, is home to about five million people and is currently in lockdown due COVID outbreak.

Quakes are relatively unusual in Australia's populated east due to its position in the middle of the Indo-Australian Tectonic Plate, according to Geoscience Australia.

Today’s quake measured higher than country's deadliest tremor which was a 5.6 in Newcastle in 1989— resulting in 13 deaths.