A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Sunday, reportedly injuring people, causing property damage and causing widespread panic among residents.
An 80 km (49.7 mi) deep earthquake struck the eastern region of Papua New Guinea at 9:45 am local time (2345 GMT Saturday), but the tremor was felt up to about 500 km in the capital city of Port Moresby ( 310 miles) away.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning after the quake, but then said the threat had passed.The Bureau of Meteorology said there was no imminent threat of a tsunami to Australia.
Residents of Papua New Guinea shared images and videos on social media of cracked roads, damaged buildings and cars, and goods falling from supermarket shelves.
Due to the remote location, the extent of the damage was not immediately apparent. But there were unconfirmed reports of at least one death, occupied homes and widespread damage, according to local media reports.
Reuters was unable to independently verify these reports.
The government was expected to announce details later in the day.
Papua New Guinea is prone to earthquakes located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a hot spot of seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake shook PNG’s remote mountainous highlands, killing more than 100 people and damaging thousands of homes.
