Latest reports suggest that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Saturday struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea, triggering a tsunami warning from the US Tsunami Warning Centre.
This is coming barely a week after Myanmar was struck by two powerful earthquakes, a 7.7 magnitude quake near Mandalay and Sagaing, followed by a 6.4 magnitude quake further south which resulted in the death of over 3000 people and millions displaced.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, EMSC, the quake occurred at a depth of 49 kilometres in the New Britain region. The US Geological Survey, USGS, reports that the epicentre was located approximately 194 kilometres east of Kimbe.
Report has it that the tsunami warning indicated potential waves of up to three metres along Papua New Guinea’s coastline, while a caution for smaller waves measuring 0.3 metres was issued for nearby Solomon Islands.
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At the time of filing this report, there are no immediate reports of damage stemming from the earthquake. The incident comes after a deadly magnitude 6.9 quake in March of the previous year, which resulted in three fatalities and the destruction of around 1,000 homes in East Sepik province.
Papua New Guinea lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area characterised by extensive seismic faults that is responsible for a significant portion of the world’s earthquake and volcanic activity.
Story was adapted from Daily Post.
