Powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit off the Papua New Guinea coast

On Friday early morning a powerful 6.8 magnitude hit off the Papua New Guinea coast. The officials also stated that there was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage. The earthquake struck at 3:39am local time at a depth of 15 kilometers about 20 kilometers offshore of the New Ireland town of Taron, addressed the US Geological Survey.


A spokesman for the Port Moresby-based National Disaster Management Office said there were no immediate reports of damage but regional disaster management teams would carry out assessments later in the day. He said, “We have been in contact with the regional office and they are going out to check it.”


Papua New Guinea sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotspot for seismic activity. Earlier as well the epicenter was more than 800 kilometers east of the 7.5-magnitude quake that hit the highlands region of the Pacific nation on February 26, killing at least 67 people. Its mountainous and remote terrain means it often takes several days for information about damage from quakes to reach officials and aid agencies.