Authorities have lifted a tsunami warning issued after a strong earthquake struck near Papua New Guinea.
The 6.9-magnitude quake occurred offshore early Saturday morning local time. It hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, about 194 kilometres east of Kimbe, a town on New Britain island.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially warned of possible waves between 1 and 3 metres along parts of the Papua New Guinea coast. A separate advisory for waves of up to 0.3 metres in the Solomon Islands was also issued. Both warnings were later cancelled.
Officials have not reported any damage or injuries so far. New Britain island has a population of just over 500,000.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said the earthquake posed no tsunami threat to Australia. New Zealand did not issue any warning.
Papua New Guinea sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
