OREANDA-NEWS.  The strongest earthquake in a century and a half occurred in the Australian state of Victoria, the ABC TV channel reported. According to seismologists, the magnitude of the tremors reached six points.

The earthquake caused damage of varying degrees of severity to at least 46 buildings in Australia. There were no reports of victims. The earthquake left some areas of Melbourne without electricity, hospitals were transferred to backup generators. Specialists were sent to assess the damage and help residents to the places with the greatest destruction. Damage to highways is also reported.

Melbourne authorities have evacuated residents of high-rise buildings in the city center. There were no reports of possible victims. Residents of other regions of Australia also felt small tremors. Among them are the cities of Canberra and Adelaide, the suburbs of Sydney, as well as some regions of the states of Victoria and New South Wales.

The main earthquake was followed by at least six additional tremors. However, in terms of strength, they were significantly less than the first. The second earthquake, magnitude 4.1, occurred 17 minutes later. Experts do not exclude that aftershocks may bother local residents for several more months.

Victoria's drivers and pedestrians are encouraged to remain vigilant and, if possible, stay away from roads.