The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released data showing that a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck near Lae, the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea, on Tuesday (October 7). There have been no reports of casualties in the area.
Mildred Ongige, a police officer in Lae, told Reuters over the phone that the earthquake was felt as “very strong” locally.
“The earthquake happened just a few minutes ago, so we don’t have more details on the damage caused by the earthquake yet, but we are concerned,” Ongige added.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that no tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake.
According to information from the USGS, the epicenter of the earthquake was located 26.2 kilometers (approximately 16.3 miles) from the city of Lae. Lae has a population of over 76,000 and is situated in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea.
Initially reported as a 6.8 magnitude earthquake by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), it was later revised to 6.6 magnitude.
Papua New Guinea lies across the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area known for frequent seismic activity. In March of last year, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the remote East Sepik Province in the northern part of the country, resulting in three fatalities and the destruction of over a thousand homes.