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Earthquake off Papua New Guinea sparks local tsunami warning Earthquake off Papua New Guinea sparks local tsunami warning
(35 minutes later)
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday, initially triggering a tsunami warning for surrounding coastlines, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) issued a threat warning for the country’s coastline located within 300 km of the quake’s epicentre. The shallow quake struck close to the coast, around 100 miles (162 km) southwest of Rabaul, a much more remote region than the country’s mountainous mainland highlands where a magnitude 7.5 tremor struck on 26 February, killing 100 people.
“Government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk,” the PTWC said in its alert. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) issued a threat warning for the country’s coastline located within 300 km of the quake’s epicentre, but later advised that the threat had passed. Dellie Minding, a receptionist at the Rabaul Hotel in the east of New Britain, around 20 minutes from the coast, told Reuters that the earthquake was felt, with many guests running outside, but there was no damage.
“Hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts. Persons located in threatened coastal areas should stay alert for information.” At the Rapopo Plantation Resort on the coast, receptionist May Dovon said she had not heard of any casualties or damage. “We felt the earthquake, everything was moving so we went out of the building,” Dovon told Reuters. “Nothing was damaged.” Australian authorities said there was no threat to the Australian coastline from the quake, which was initially reported as a magnitude 7.2. Quakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. Rabaul lies in the shadow of Mount Tavurvur, an active volcano that destroyed the town in 1994 during a severe eruption. The latest quake came as Papua New Guinea struggles to get aid to survivors of the 26 February quake, which flattened whole villages and spoiled water supplies on the country’s main island. The impoverished country is also missing its largest revenue earner since the quake forced a shutdown of Exxon Mobil Corp’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, which has annual sales of $3 billion at current LNG prices.The company is still assessing quake damage at its facilities.
Waves could reach the Solomon Islands as well the centre said.
Australian authorities said there was no threat to the Australian coastline from the quake, which was initially reported as a magnitude 7.2.
The USGS said the quake, which was very shallow below the seabed and close to the coast, struck at 7.25am on Friday (2125 GMT on Thursday) and was centered 100 miles (162km) southwest of Rabaul.
Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s poorest countries, is still reeling a month after a magnitude 7.5 quake hit its rugged and remote highlands, killing at least 100 people as landslides buried villages.
More information to follow soon ...
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea
EarthquakesEarthquakes
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
Natural disasters and extreme weatherNatural disasters and extreme weather
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