Sydney — The death toll from the strongest earthquake to strike Papua New Guinea’s rugged interior in almost a century had climbed to 31 and would probably rise further, officials said on Thursday, as damage to roads, runways and phone lines slowed relief efforts. Remote hamlets closest to the epicentre of the 7.5 magnitude quake in the Southern Highlands were buried, killing 13 people, said James Justin, a research officer at the ministry of petroleum and energy in Port Moresby, in an e-mail, citing a two-way radio call from a mission station in the region. Most of the other confirmed fatalities were in or around the provincial capital of Mendi and the town of Tari, 40km from the epicentre, where aftershocks continue to be felt. People are afraid their homes may yet collapse have been sleeping in their yards. "Tari is completely shut down," Mark Mendai, head of the district’s Development Authority said by phone. "All the water tanks have been turned over and at the moment people ar...
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