Quake hits Papua New Guinea

A 6.0-MAGNITUDE earthquake struck Papua New Guinea yesterday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit the remote New Britain region at a depth of 154km, 512km northeast of capital Port Moresby.

Powerful earthquakes are common in impoverished PNG, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

A giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2 000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast. — SAPA-AFP