Strong quake shakes Papua New Guinea

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A powerful earthquake rattled forest villages and a large gold mine in central Papua New Guinea early today, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Officials were waiting for more information about damage from the magnitude-7.5 quake that hit about 55 miles southwest of Porgera in the Pacific Island nation.

Chris McKee, acting director of geohazards management for the Papua New Guinea government, said tens of thousands of people live in the forested highlands region affected by the quake.

“There seem to be quite a few reports of the quake being felt strongly,” he said.

The area also is home to a number of oil and gas operations and coffee plantations, McKee said. Porgera is the site of a large gold mine that employs more than 2,500 residents.

A mine official wrote on Facebook of plans to find out what caused power blackouts and other damage after the quake shook the whole area.

The area lies along an earthquake zone known as the Papuan Fold Belt, which is the fault responsible for the mountain range that forms the spine of the nation, he said.

The quake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 22 miles, and shallow quakes tend to be more strongly felt. A series of strong aftershocks had rattled other parts of the fault line, McKee said.