Quick-thinking mum seen protecting her baby as huge earthquake rocks Australia
Shocking footage has captured the heartwarming moment an Aussie mum rushes to protect her baby after being woken by a massive earthquake.
Shocking footage has captured the heartwarming moment an Aussie mum rushes to protect her baby after being woken by a massive earthquake.
The 4.5 magnitude quake rattled the small town of Muswellbrook, near Newcastle, in Northern NSW, just before 6am on Saturday, September 7.
A baby monitor captured the moment the Hunter Valley mum woke to a loud bang and violent shaking while sleeping next to her son.
The clip showed the quick-thinking mother pull the toddler into her arms before she glanced around the room to check they were safe.
Watch my mum instincts when an earthquake hits, she captioned the video.
We already had two earthquakes in the last two weeks so I was on edge. I was about ready to run to the bathroom if it went on for one more second.
Hundreds of viewers praised the womans quick reaction.
Nothing compares to mum instincts, one person commented.
A baby monitor captured the moment the Hunter Valley mum woke to a loud bang and violent shaking while sleeping next to her son (pictured)
The clip showed the quick-thinking mother pull the toddler into her arms (pictured)
Mum instincts kicked in fast, another person wrote.
Mum instincts are the best, I have woken up two times finding my son refluxing and choking. He was not making any sounds, a second said.
A third shared: You become an incredibly light sleeper when you become a parent.
Others expressed their relief that the woman and her son were not hurt.
Glad you both [are] safe, a third said.
Dozens of properties in the surrounding suburbs sustained minor damage with many residents waking up without power.
Just two weeks earlier, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook the town of Denman, around 20km south of Muswellbrook.
It was the biggest earthquake in the area in 50 years, but smaller than the 5.4 magnitude earthquake that devastated Newcastle and killed 13 people in 1989.
Muswellbrook Shire Council mayor Steven Reynolds said he was lying in bed when his house shook hard.
I tell you what, I thought the roof was coming down on me, he said.
You couldnt miss it, it was big. We have the blasts here from the mines and I immediately knew it was nothing like that.
Hundreds of properties in the surrounding areas sustained minor damage from the quake (pictured debris seen on a footpath following the quake in Muswellbrook, in northern NSW)
Unconfirmed reports were made of stock on supermarket shelves that fell to the floor (pictured) after a 4.8 magnitude quake struck Denham, in NSW
Over 170km away, residents in Sydney reported feeling tremors from the quake.
Unverified social media posts showed products that fell from supermarket shelves while some homes had cracks in the wall.
While there were no reports of major damage to infrastructure, the NSW State Emergency Service received almost a dozen calls for minor damage.
Australia has been hit by 16 quakes in the past week, with 12 earthquakes between magnitude two and three recorded.
Around 100 earthquakes of magnitude three or more are recorded in the country every year, according to Geoscience Australia.
