Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia

Emergency workers survey damage in Melbourne, Australia, where debris is scattered on a road after part of a wall fell from a building during an earthquake on Wednesday (Sept 22). - AP photo

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE (Reuters) -A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country's biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country's second-largest city and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states.

The quake's epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in the state of Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, and was at a depth of 10 km (six miles). An aftershock was rated 4.0.