An earthquake with magnitude 7.9 struck near Papua New Guinea on Sunday afternoon. The quake hit Bougainville, an eastern province of Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 167 kilometers, at 3.30pm local time, said the US Geological Survey (USGS). It also stated that light to moderate damage was possible on Bougainville Island.
There were no reports of casualties in the areas around the epicenter. However, some regions faced blackouts.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had earlier alerted neighboring islands about a possible tsunami threat. It had said that waves could hit areas including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Nauru, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands in the following hours. But the warning was later canceled.
“The greatest tsunami threat had been to Bougainville and that threat had passed without any report of a tsunami,” said Chris McKee, assistant director of Papua New Guinea Geophysical Observatory, Port Moresby.
“I suspect that because of the great depth of the earthquake, there was probably no significant tsunami,” McKee added.
The USGS had initially reported a magnitude of 8.0 but later revised it to 7.9.
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, earthquakes are common in the region. This is a seismically active region, due to movement and collision of tectonic plates.
