A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island early Saturday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quake, which was shallow at a depth of 10 kilometers, initially triggered a tsunami warning.
However, the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre later downgraded the threat, confirming that no tsunami was observed at the nearest monitoring site. The earthquake occurred at 6:04 am local time, centered about 194 kilometers southeast of Kimbe, the nearest major town. Residents reported feeling the tremor, but no significant damage or evacuations were necessary.
Papua New Guinea, located on the seismic ‘Ring of Fire,’ frequently experiences earthquakes, though they rarely cause widespread damage in its sparsely populated areas.
