A Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit the northern coast of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday; PHIVOLCS says there is no destructive tsunami threat to the country.
The epicenter was detected at an estimated depth of 12 kilometers (seven miles) at 8:46 am local time (2146 GMT Monday), the USGS said.
The quake hit about 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast, a short distance from the town of Wewak, capital of the Pacific island state’s East Sepik Province.
“I think it lasted for almost a minute,” Danny Seolo, a worker staying at the Wewak Village Inn Hotel and Apartments said.
“Not very violent but kind of like you are on a boat or something — it was swaying,” he added to AFP by telephone, adding that he had not seen any damage.
Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which is located on the top of the seismic “Ring of Fire” , an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Even though the Earthquake contributed less damage in the urban areas, possible destructive landslides can occur in rural areas.
Seven people were killed in April this year when a 7.0-magnitude quake hit a jungle-clad area in the country’s interior.
180 homes were destroyed in the heavily rainforested Karawari area, near the quake’s epicenter.
In September last year, 10 people were killed when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck hundreds of homes, split roads and caused power outages across the rugged north of the country
It was the largest quake to rock Papua New Guinea since 2018, when almost 150 people were killed following a shallow 7.5-magnitude tremor in Hela province.
Meanwhile, an advisory was issued at 6:02 a.m. today, stating that there is no tsunami threat to the country and that no action is required.
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