BREAKING: Huge earthquake hits Papua New Guinea sparking TSUNAMI fears
A MASSIVE 7.0 earthquake has hit Papua New Guinea sparking fears that the disaster could cause a tsunami.
A 7.0 earthquake has hit Papua New Guinea
The earthquake measured 7.0 on the richter scale.
The quake struck 139 km east of the port town of Kimbe, and 180 km west of the town of Rabaul, on New Britain island.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said that it had struck at a shallow depth of 40 km.
It comes after a serious of earthquakes rocked the country, this weekend, and last month.
USGS said there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.
A USGS spokesman said: “Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist.
“The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) construction.
“Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.”
The quake occurred 139km east of the port town of Kimbe
There was also no immediate tsunami warning but residents fear that the quake could trigger one, or a series of deadly landslides.
Papua New Guinea is prone to earthquakes as the country is a on major fault line along the Ring of Fire.
On Saturday, the island of the Pacific Ocean nation was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeast coast.
The epicentre of Saturday's quake was located 180 kilometres (112 miles) southwest of Rabaul on New Britain island, some 900 km northeast of the capital Port Moresby, at a depth of 68 km (40 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.