Magnitude 6 earthquake jolts Australia's Melbourne city sending panic among residents

A massive earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck near Melbourne, the second-largest city situated in southern Australia on Wednesday morning sending panicked residents running into the streets for safety. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Mansfield in Victoria.

Videos on social media showed one building suffered minor damage and power lines were disrupted in the central business district of Melbourne. Melbourne residents described their shock and surprise as houses across the city began to shake and the tremors were felt hundreds of kilometres away.

Earthquakes are not common in Melbourne. The city has not witnessed an earthquake of a similar size in decades. There have been no reports of injuries so far. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 5.8, later revised up to 5.9, and said it struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles).

Debris littered roads in the popular shopping area around Melbourne's Chapel Street, with bricks, apparently coming loose from buildings. At around just under magnitude six this was 'the biggest event in southeast Australia for a long time' Mike Sandiford, a geologist at the University of Melbourne told a news agency.

Geosciences Australia said an aftershock measuring 4.0 struck shortly after the initial temblor. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, speaking from New York, said there were no initial reports of injuries.