Western Australia is rocked by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in the Indian Ocean – as startled residents report strong shaking
- Western Australia has been rocked by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake
- The undersea earthquake occurred at 3.39pm on Sunday off the shore
- There is no threat of a tsunami to the Australian mainland, islands or territories
- The tremors caused products to fly off the shelves in stores across the coast
Western Australia has been rocked by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.
The undersea earthquake occurred at 3.39pm on Sunday off the coast of Broome in the Indian Ocean, GeoScience Australia reported.
There is no threat of a tsunami to the Australian mainland, islands or territories, the weather bureau said.
The shakes were felt by residents across the entire coast, from the Kimberley region through to Pilbara.
More than 800 people registered with the official government website confirming they felt the quake.
Two of the registered confirmations came from Brisbane and Melbourne.
Products were sent flying off shelves in some stores near the coast.
One photo taken in the cosmetics aisle at Target showed items sprawled across the floor as confused customers looked on.
Western Australia has been rocked by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean
Social media photos show items at a Broome Woolworths were knocked off the shelves during the earthquake
Bottles of soy sauce smashed on the floor as the quake rattled the grocery store
Shoppers at Woolworths in Broome had to run for cover as items were thrown off the shelves and pieces came off the ceiling in Target.
Shoppers said the complex was closed over concerns about the underground car park until it was assessed to still be safe.
Matso's Restaurant, attached to the famous Broome brewery on Hamersley St, was evacuated as the area 'shook like crazy'.
Races were also halted at the Broome Turf Club as panicked punters rushed from the shaking grandstands.
'The whole grandstand was shaking and people darting away and onto the track,' one man told Daily Mail Australia.
'I thought the whole thing was going to come down but luckily [the earthquake] stopped.'
Another Broome woman said she felt the quake rattle her home.
'Wall hangings fell and everything was moving. My heart is still racing,' she said.
'Never thought my first earthquake would be in Broome, I thought it was a big plane or steam roller going by,' another man said.
A homewares store in Broome was also shaken by the earthquake
Some products were left damaged or broken after they hit the ground
A woman who was shopping in Target at the time of the quake posted a photo on social media showing parts of the roof knocked off
'Crazy feeling, still hearing aftershocks.'
The earthquake was felt as far away as Perth where the ICU at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital shook for about a minute.
'The building was rocking and the blinds were moving pretty scary,' a patient on the seventh floor told Daily Mail Australia.
Others said entire apartment buildings in Perth's suburbs shook for as long as three minutes during the earthquake.
Shift workers were roused from their beds when everything in their rooms started to move.
Closer to the epicentre, mining workers said the quake was so violent they thought heavy machinery was being used nearby.
'Felt this in my donga, thought the camp were using a roller or compactor,' one said.
'Here in Karratha I thought something was coming out of a ceiling vent on back patio then whack earthquake,' a second said.
A third said high viz gear was 'flying off the shelves' when the quake struck his site.
Derby resident Jody Gaunt was having a beer with friends when they felt the quake.
'We were sitting outside and our chairs were rocking,' she told AAP.
'The trees stopped moving and the breeze stopped blowing.
'We were thinking, "Is this real or not real?" We've never had an earthquake up here, or a tremor.'
Ms Gaunt, 53, said the quake was the talk of the neighbourhood and it was reported that stock had been shaken off the shelves at the local Woolworths.
Over in Port Hedland, The Walkabout Hotel employee Shelley described the effect of the quake.
'It felt like being on one of those vibrating machines. It just sort of shook the building,' she said, adding a colleague thought it was a jet from the neighbouring international airport taking off.
The Roey Hotel employee Cindy said she saw cars moving in the earthquake.
'I was outside and I just saw the cars moving. It was a bit scary. You could see them moving. A few things fell off the walls onto the floors,' she said.
'It just went for a few seconds.'
Gary, who works at the Mercure Hotel in Broome, said it started as a little shake before the doors and walls rattled.
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'It started off with a shake, it was not too crazy and then it developed into quite a shake,' he said, after experiencing his first earthquake.
'It was quite nerve-racking. We made our way outside. It was not too strong, it almost felt like when you are in a car and the wind is a bit strong, and then it started picking up.'
Locals took to social media to report they had felt the earth move.
Deb Hannagan, from Broome, tweeted: 'We just had an earthquake in Broome! The whole house was shaking and it went for ages. Never experienced anything like it before - quite amazing!'
There have been no reported injuries from the earthquake, a St John Ambulance spokeswoman said.
It is also understood there has been no building damage, according to a police spokesman.
