According to Kessy Sawang, a local politician, there was serious and a potential for more casualties in settlements around the Finisterre Range and along the coast.[9] She added that many people and homes had been engulfed by landslides.[9] An official at Port Moresby, the nation's capital, said that damage was likely significant for an earthquake of this size.[10] Three deaths were reported at Wau, a gold-mining town.