Strong quake hits Papua New Guinea, tsunami threat over

SYDNEY: A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain island of Papua New Guinea on Friday, US seismologists said, but a tsunami threat from the tremor was over.
The quake struck at 5:25 pm local time (2125 GMT, 5.25am Malaysia time) about 162km from the New Britain town of Rabaul, the US Geological Survey said.
It was initially recorded at a shallow depth of 10km, before it was revised by the USGS to a depth of 35km.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre earlier said "hazardous" waves of between 0.3-one metre above tide level could be generated by the quake for some coasts of PNG.
It said smaller waves could also hit the Solomon Islands, but later added that the "tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed".
"It was felt as far away as Kokopo (150km from the epicentre)," Geoscience Australia seismologist Spiro Spiliopoulos told AFP of the tremor.
There were no reports of damage at this stage, Spiliopoulos said, adding that the affected areas were remote.
The earthquake was quickly followed by two powerful smaller tremors, measuring 5.3 and 5.1, both at a depth of 35km, according to USGS.
The quake came on the heels of a separate 5.8-magnitude tremor some 43km west of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, which struck at 6:51 am local time (1851 GMT, 2.51am Malaysia time) at a depth of 10km.
There are regular quakes in the region, and PNG is sitting on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire which is a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
PNG was hit by a 7.5-magnitude quake on Feb 26 that buried homes and triggered landslides in its highlands region, killing at least 125 people.
Its mountainous and remote terrain means it often takes several days for information about damage from quakes to reach officials and aid agencies. — AFP