Papua New Guinea in bid to quake-proof buildings sitting on the Ring of Fire

Sitting at the collision point of several tectonic plates, Papua New Guinea is ranked the 10th most disaster-prone country in the world and is regularly rattled by earthquakes.

But as the developing nation undergoes a rapid period of urbanisation, there are fears buildings are not being constructed to a standard that can survive strong earthquakes — potentially leading to large numbers of casualties.

More than 125 people are estimated to have died in a magnitude-7.5 earthquake on February 26, which struck the country's remote highlands region.

The majority were killed when their houses were buried by landslides.

Those in the industry said PNG's current building standards are outdated and rely on decades-old seismic assessments which underestimate the risk posed by earthquakes.

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