Strong earthquake hits off Papua New Guinea

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea Tuesday, reports reaching in Canberra said.

The quake struck to the south of the island of New Britain in the Solomon Sea Tuesday morning.

It was reported that the quake struck at a depth of 58 kilometers, about 167 kilometers from Kandrian, New Britain.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Phil Cummins said no immediate reports of casualties or damage were received after the quake.

But the U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter.

Source: Xinhua