Tag Archives: oceania

Moment TV news studio rattled by earthquake

Shocked Melburnians have taken to social media after this morning's 5.8 magnitude earthquake, describing it as "so scary", like a "truck had crashed out front" of their house, and with tremors that sent "everything rolling in front of our eyes".

Just after the quake hit at 9:15am, images and videos of a crumbled building on Chapel Street in South Yarra, with bricks strewn across the street, quickly began to circulate on social media.

Footage from ABC News showed presenters Michael Rowland and Tony Armstrong in a state of confusion as their studio shook.

https://twitter.com/BreakfastNews/status/1440461207572398091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

READ MORE: Buildings damaged as earthquake strikes east of Melbourne

As the cameras wobble around, Rowland asks, "Is it an earthquake or a structural thing?"

Rising from his seat, Rowland says "let's go" and suggests everyone get out of the building.

"That was a big one," he adds.

Some Twitter users as far away as Adelaide, 725 kilometres north-west of the Victorian capital, claimed to have felt the earth move under their feet.

Closer to Melbourne, Richard N from Geelong posted on Twitter, saying, "the whole house shook significantly. Never felt anything like it before".

"Direct hit on my house, everything rolling in front of our eyes, my children loved it!" Catriona Rowntree wrote on Twitter.

"I thought a truck had crashed out the front. The house shook strongly for a good twenty seconds and my bed moved across the room down near Rye. All three kids slept through it," Eliza Who added.

LIVE UPDATES: Protesters arrested on Melbourne's Elizabeth Street

https://twitter.com/mtbuller/status/1440481827039301640

Mount Buller Ski Resort, which is located close to the epicentre of the quake, shared video showing the moment the ground rolled under a group of skiers' feet.

Thankfully nobody lost their footing. No avalanches have been reported.

Some Twitter users joked an angry French government must have taken action after Australia unilaterally pulled out of a $90 billion submarine deal last week, causing major diplomatic fallout.

READ MORE: History of Australia's most destructive earthquakes

https://twitter.com/VictorianCHO/status/1440466954263810055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

In another video posted to Twitter, one man quietly doing yoga at home, holding plank, leaped to his feet, startled, when the quake hit.

https://twitter.com/djbdjm/status/1440466380348805122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/IzaStaskowski/status/1440468269886951425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/Catriona_Rtree/status/1440459229186301966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/rosswilsonmusic/status/1440463017947254795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/GeoscienceAus/status/1440466109812002826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Map that lays Australia's history of earthquakes bare

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck east Victoria today is not the first, or most destructive, to strike Australia.

Geoscience Australia said the country is relatively safe from quakes as it "sits in the middle of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate".

However on it's website the government agency lists dozens of destructive earthquakes, stretching back to 70,000 years ago.

Below is a timeline of the nation's most powerful quakes.

READ MORE: How Melburnians reacted to destructive earthquake

The locations of Australia's most significant earthquakes.

2018: Lake Muir, Western Australia

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck near Lake Muir in the state's southwest on 16 September.

It was felt "widely", including in metropolitan Perth over 300 km away.

Apart from one building damaged near the epicentre only minor damage was reported. No one was injured.

2016: Petermann Ranges, Northern Territory

Northern Territory recorded one of the country's largest earthquakes on 21 May, 2016.

A 6.1 earthquake hit in the Petermann Ranges region, about 125 km southwest of Uluru.

A 20 km-long surface rupture also formed in the Petermann Ranges.

With the region so remote, there was no damage.

But 73 aftershocks were recorded in the six months after the quake.

These ranged from magnitude 2.8 to 4.1.

2015: Fraser Island, Queensland

On July 30, 2015 a 5.4 magnitude undersea earthquake hit off the coast of Fraser Island.

It was followed by magnitude 5.3 and 5.2 earthquakes two days later, on August 1.

Fraser Island, Queensland

The quakes were felt up to 350 km from the epicentre and reports of shaking as far north as Bundaberg and as far south as the Queensland-New South Wales border emerged.

The series of quakes caused minor damage and lead to the evacuation of some buildings in Brisbane's CBD.

2012: Moe, Victoria

On June 19, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit southwest of Moe in Victoria's LaTrobe Valley.

The earthquake was felt throughout Melbourne and 300 aftershocks were recorded.

At the time it was the state's largest earthquake after a magnitude 5.7 event, recorded at Mt Hotham in May 1966.

2011: Bowen, Queensland

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck west of Bowen in Central Queensland on April 16, 2011, and was felt as far away as Cairns – 400 km from the epicentre.

There was only minor damage but residents throughout Queensland reported significant ground shaking.

A Geoscience Australia seismologist deploys a temporary seismometer after the Bowen quake. More than 300 aftershocks were recorded in the aftermath.

1997: Collier Bay, Western Australia

A strong earthquake measuring 6.2 magnitudes was recorded near Collier Bay in WA on August 10, 1997.

It was felt strongly throughout the Kimberly region and as far as Darwin – 600 kilometres away.

Swimmers at Backstein Creek, 110km from the epicentre, fled the water as the quake made the water look like it was boiling, according to eye witness accounts.

Damage was sustained on Cockatoo Island, 70 kilometres from the epicentre. Concrete broke off the foundations of some houses built for a mine.

A water tank was also damaged.

1989: Newcastle, New South Wales

Geoscience Australia called the 1989 Newcastle quake "one of Australia's most serious natural disasters".

A quake that hit Newcastle on 28 December 1989 caused billions in damage and left more than a dozen dead.

A 5.4 magnitude quake that struck northern NSW city on December 28, killed 13 people injured more than 160.

Ground movement was reported 800 kilometres away from the city.

It caused an estimated $4 billion in damage, over an area extending 9000 square kilometres.

The quakes epicentre was just 15 kilometres south of the Newcastle central business district at an estimated depth of 11 km.

One aftershock of 2.1 was recorded.

1988: Tennant Creek, Northern Territory

January 22, 1988 was a day of horror for the Northern Territory's seventh largest town – it was hit by a series of three powerful quakes.

The largest reached a magnitude 6.6 – Australia's largest onshore earthquake since official records began.

Remarkably only a major gas pipeline was damaged.

The Tennant Creek quakes caused the surface of the outback to rupture.

Geoscience Australia said the quakes were "monumental" for seismology.

Foreshocks started happening a year before the quakes struck and thousands of aftershocks followed throughout the years.

"This type of seismic activity had not been recorded in Australia prior to the Tennant Creek events," it said.

1979: Cadoux, Western Australia

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake caused significant damage when it struck Cadoux, a small town in Western Australia, on June 2.

Roads, railway lines, pipes and power lines in Cadoux were damaged, and some buildings in Perth, 180 km away, also sustained structural damage.

One person was injured.

1968: Meckering, Western Australia

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck the wheat-growing community of Meckering in October 14, 1968 is considered the second largest quake in national history.

A bank, hotel, shire hall, three churches and 60 of about 75 houses were destroyed.

It was felt over most of southern Western Australia.

Contact Raffaella at rc*********@******om.au.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-9news-lunch-podcast/sept-22-just-how-far-and-strong-did-australias-ear/embed?style=cover

Queensland cop suspended for allegedly helping daughter cross border

A Queensland police officer has been suspended following a suspected border breach in which he allegedly helped his daughter break COVID-19 travel restrictions to cross into the state.

It is understood the officer allegedly drove to the Coolangatta border checkpoint in the Gold Coast to assist his daughter, who had travelled from the ACT and did not hold an appropriate border permit.

In a statement to 9News, a Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed a male senior constable has been suspended from official duties with the Queensland Police Service while Ethical Standards Command investigate "allegations relating to on-duty border enforcement."

READ MORE: Queensland mum wins $30 million in Oz Lotto draw

"As the matter remains the subject of ongoing internal investigations, the QPS is unable to provide further information," the spokesperson said.

A 20-year-old woman has been issued with a penalty infringement notice amounting to $4135 after she allegedly broke Queensland border restrictions, police confirmed.

The woman is currently in hotel quarantine.

READ MORE: Man's body found in Brisbane River

Body found in Wyoming confirmed to be missing woman Gabby Petito

The FBI says a county coroner has confirmed that human remains found in remote northern Wyoming along the border of Grand Teton National Park are those of 22-year-old Gabby Petito.

Ms Petito disappeared while on a cross-country road trip with a boyfriend who is now being sought by authorities in Florida.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue determined her manner of death was homicide, but did not disclose a cause of death pending final autopsy results, officials said on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Gabby Petito's father posts touching tribute after body discovered

Gabby Petito

Ms Petito’s body was found on Sunday near an undeveloped camping area that’s surrounded by woodlands and brush, located about 48 kilometres northeast of Jackson, Wyoming.

The FBI also requested for anyone with information about boyfriend Brian Laundrie’s role in Ms Petito’s death to contact the agency.

Search underway for boyfriend in Florida nature reserve

Police in North Port, Florida, said on Tuesday morning that investigators have returned to the Carlton Reserve to look for Brian Laundrie, 23.

Investigators searched the 24,000-acre (9,700-hectare) Florida nature reserve over the weekend without success.

They focused on the area after Mr Laundrie's parents told police he may have gone there.

READ MORE: FBI agents investigating Gabby Petito's death search boyfriend's home

Authorities are using helicopters, drones, dogs and officers in all-terrain vehicles in their search for Mr Laundrie. About 75 per cent of the search area is underwater.

On Monday, the FBI went to Mr Laundrie's parents' home in North Port and removed several boxes and towed away a car neighbours said Mr Laundrie's mother typically used.

Mr Laundrie and Ms Petito had been living with his parents at the North Port home before the road trip on which she died.

The young couple had set out in July in a converted van to visit national parks in the West.

They got into a fight along the way and Mr Laundrie was alone when he returned in the van to his parents' home on September 1, police said.

In Wyoming, the FBI announced on Sunday that agents had discovered a body on the edge of Grand Teton National Park, which the couple had visited.

Gabby Petito

No details on the cause of death were released. An autopsy was set for Tuesday.

"Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100 per cent that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified," FBI agent Charles Jones said.

Mr Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, but his whereabouts in recent days were unknown.

Ms Petito's father, Joseph, posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter, with the message: "She touched the world."

In an interview broadcast Monday on TV's Dr. Phil show, Joseph Petito said Mr Laundrie and his daughter had dated for two and a half years, and Mr Laundrie was "always respectful".

During the interview, which was recorded before his daughter's body was found, Ms Petito said the couple had taken a previous road trip to California in her car and there were no problems.

Joseph Petito said the family began worrying after several days without hearing from their daughter.

READ MORE: A timeline of missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito's case

The van Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie were travelling in.

"We called Brian, we called the mom, we called the dad, we called the sister, we called every number that we could find," Joseph Petito said.

"No phone calls were picked up, no text messages were returned."

Mr Petito said he wants Mr Laundrie to be held accountable for whatever part he played in his daughter's disappearance, along with his family for protecting him.

"I hope they get what's coming, and that includes his folks," he said.

"Because I'll tell you, right now, they are just as complicit, in my book."

The FBI said investigators are seeking information from anyone who may have seen the couple around Grand Teton.

Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on New York's Long Island. His parents later moved to North Port, about 55 kilometres south of Sarasota.

A man who saw Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie fighting in Moab, Utah, on August 12 called 911 to report a domestic violence incident, according to a recording of the call obtained from the Grand County Sheriff's Office.

The man said he saw Mr Laundrie slap Ms Petito while walking through the town and proceeded to hit her before the two got in their van and drove off.

Video released by the Moab police showed that an officer pulled the couple's van over on the same day after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near Arches National Park. The body-camera footage showed an upset Ms Petito.

Mr Laundrie said on the video that the couple had gotten into a scuffle after he climbed into the van with dirty feet.

He said he did not want to pursue a domestic violence charge against Ms Petito, who officers decided was the aggressor.

Moab police separated the couple for the night, with Mr Laundrie checking into a motel and Ms Petito remaining with the van.

In the footage, Ms Petito cried as she told the officer she and Mr Laundrie had been arguing over her excessive cleaning of the van.

She told the officer she has OCD — obsessive compulsive disorder.

On Dr. Phil, her father said that was not literally true. She just likes to keep her living area orderly and was using slang, he said.

Australia's most affordable 5G phone launches at under $300

While TCL may not be a household name in mobile phones, they are a well known brand in Australia for their range of TVs over many years, and have been making smartphones for a long time – just not under their own brand.

Today, the company has announced the newest edition to their ever-expanding line-up of devices with a 5G capable mobile phone priced at under $300.

The TCL 20 R 5G is not a phone short on features – alongside 5G connectivity, the phone offers a triple camera for those all important family photos, as well as an impressive display with a 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling, plus access to NFC to allow for tap-and-go mobile payments with Google Pay.

READ MORE: Should I buy the new iPhone 13? Here's what you need to think about

Priced at $349 outright unlocked to any network, it's the most affordable 5G phone ever launched in Australia.

However, pushing that number lower, 9News can reveal that Vodafone will launch the phone at a $299 price tag for post-paid customers with the device locked to the Vodafone network.

The TCL 20 R 5G is the third 5G device launched in the past few months, alongside the 20 5G ($499) and flagship 20 Pro 5G which is still impressively priced at $799.

READ MORE: The $299 TCL 20 SE giving other smartphones a run for their money

"The 20 R 5G will enable many more people to experience 5G for the first time," Joseph Corrente from TCL Australia said.

"However, it goes much further than price alone, as we have been able to deliver some very exciting features that we believe make the 20 R 5G best-in-class.

"When added to our broader range, it demonstrates our leadership in 5G smartphones across affordability, accessibility, quality and performance.

"From fast 5G to contactless transactions with NFC and Google Pay, this handset is ready for when Australia opens up again.

"It has a beautiful display and a refresh rate that makes it great for mobile gaming, seamlessly fitting into people's lives and reinforcing our mission to make important technologies accessible to more people than ever."

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 smartphone appeals to whole new audience

The TCL 20 R 5G is a lightweight design, a slightly less premium feel when compared to the other TCL 20 range of products, but features a 6.52 inch display and a bright screen with TCL's NXTVISION technology to enhance videos and photos along with low blue light protection and eye comfort modes.

Like most smartphones today, the TCL 20 R 5G also features flagship features like fingerprint or face unlock, and the 4500mAh battery should be an all day battery with ease.

The TCL 20 R 5G launches for $349 at Harvey Norman, Officeworks and MobileCiti, with Vodafone's $299 deal available for postpaid customers, and a pre-paid offering coming soon.