Sydney: An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale hit Southern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Monday. However, no casualty was reported.

The earthquake, which occurred on Sunday near Mendi town, was determined to be at 6.149 degrees south latitude and 142.766 degrees east longitude at a depth of 35 km, Xinhua news agency reported. No fatality has been reported in the township of around 50,000 people. However, Don Blakeman from USGS told the media that significant damage was very likely. No tsunami warning has been issued. </s> PAPUA New Guinea has been rocked by a huge 7.5magnitude earthquake just moments after a smaller seismic event struck Japan, increasing fears of a natural disaster impacting the dangerous region dubbed the 'Ring of Fire'.The 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the heart of the island near the near the Southern Highlands area, with tremors felt across the nearby region.at roughly 4am local time (6pm GMT).It is currently unclea rif any damage or injuries were cause by the substantial siesmic event.Papua New Ginuea rests on the so-called 'Ring of Fire' - a hotbed of seismic activity surrounding a tectonic plate that spans the pacific.The quake follows another seismic event in Japan, where a 5.5 magintude earthquake struck just hours before.Despite the magintude of the huge quake, officials have confirmed there is no risk of a resultant tsunami.A statement from the US' Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said: "An Earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 occurred in New Guinea, Papua New Guinea at 1745 UTC on Sunday February 25, 2018."Based on all available data, there is no Tsunami threat from this earthquake." </s> The 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the heart of the island near the near the Southern Highlands area, with tremors felt across the nearby region.

The phenomenon hit at a depth of 10km at roughly 4am local time (6pm GMT).

It is currently unclea rif any damage or injuries were cause by the substantial siesmic event.

Papua New Ginuea rests on the so-called 'Ring of Fire' – a hotbed of seismic activity surrounding a tectonic plate that spans the pacific.

Despite the magintude of the huge quake, officials have confirmed there is no risk of a resultant tsunami.

A statement from the US’ Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said: “An Earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 occurred in New Guinea, Papua New Guinea at 1745 UTC on Sunday February 25, 2018. </s> A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning for surrounding coastlines.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the shallow quake close to the coast, about 162km southwest of Rabaul.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) issued a threat warning for the country’s coastline located within 300km of the quake’s epicentre, but later advised that the threat had passed.

“Government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk,” the PTWC said in its alert. “Persons located in threatened coastal areas should stay alert for information.”

Australian authorities said there was no threat to the Australian coastline from the quake, which was initially reported as a magnitude 7.2.

Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s poorest countries, is still reeling a month after a magnitude 7.5 quake in its rugged and remote highlands, killing at least 100 people as landslides buried villages. – Reuters </s> WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A magnitude 6.6 earthquake has rattled the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, a month after a deadly quake there killed more than 100 people.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from Monday's quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said was centered in a remote area of East New Britain province.

USGS reported the quake had a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles). Deeper earthquakes tend to cause less damage on the Earth's surface.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Feb. 26 killed at least 125 people, injured dozens and brought work to a halt at four oil and gas fields.

Home to 7 million people, Papua New Guinea is located to the east of Indonesia and sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire." </s> A strong earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island on Thursday, initially prompting tsunami warnings in the area.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Papua New Guinea, though the threat had passed without incident nearly two hours later.

It is unclear if the earthquake caused any damage to the island.

Papua New Guinea, north of Australia, is still recovering from a pair of deadly earthquakes that hit the country in recent weeks.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the country’s highland region on Feb. 26, triggering powerful aftershocks, according to CNN. The earthquake killed at least 67 people and left 500 others injured.

One week later, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the country and killed at least 18 more people.

After the second earthquake, the International Red Cross said that as many as 143,000 people could have been affected by the disaster and 17,000 people have been displaced from their homes, Reuters reported. </s> Powerful aftershocks continue to rock Papua New Guinea after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck the country's southern highlands.

The quake hit in the early hours of this morning at a relatively shallow depth of 35 kilometres.

The epicentre was about 96 kilometres south-west of Mendi, the capital of Southern Highlands province, a town of more than 50,000 people.

Chief Secretary to Government Ambassador Isaac Lupari said in a statement that disaster assessment teams had been sent to parts of the Southern Highlands Province and Hela Province.

"The National Disaster Centre is working with provincial authorities to assess any damage and impacts on service delivery in the area," his statement said.

Mr Lupari said it is important that people are aware of the dangers of earthquake aftershocks.

"It is advisable to stay out of multi-story buildings, to be aware of the potential of landslides, and to be prepared to move to open ground in the event that an aftershock is felt."

Brisbane miner Derek Schock, who is based in the nearby Star Mountains, had never been in an earthquake before and was awoken by the tremors.

"We get a lot of rain and storms so initially I thought it was just another heavy rain and wind gust.

Mr Schock said the tremors lasted up to 40 seconds.

"I was going to get under the table as a precaution but it stopped. There were some smaller aftershocks," he said.

"There has been a significant landslide and the road is cut off."

The area where the earthquake struck is home to a number of oil and gas operations as well as coffee plantations.

ExxonMobil Corp has shut its Hides gas conditioning plant as a precaution to assess any damages to its facilities.

Chris McKee, acting director of geohazards management for the Papua New Guinea Government, said tens of thousands of people lived in the forested highlands region.

He said many people in the region had homes constructed with local materials that would likely hold up fairly well but more concerning was any heavy masonry used in industrial construction.

The highlands lie along an earthquake zone known as the Papuan Fold Belt, which is the fault responsible for the mountain range that forms the spine of the nation.

It is not clear yet if there are any casualties, but Don Blakeman from the US Geological Survey said significant damage was likely.

"Any geologic situation like steep valleys or any type of construction, [like] buildings, mines, that sort of thing, since this is a shallow earthquake it shakes all of that a lot more," he told the ABC.

The Geological Survey said there was no danger of a tsunami. </s> A 6.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea, triggering a tsunami warning for nearby coastlines.The quake struck at a depth of 10km, about 162 kilometres from the town of Rabaul on New Britain Island, about 7.25am on Friday.There have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties, though one hotel worker told Reuters her guests ran out of the building in fright.The tsunami warning was later called off.Little more than a month ago, the country suffered a lethal 7.5 magnitude earthquake.At least 100 people in the Enga province died in the quake on February 26, and massive landslides saw entire villages buried.The townspeople spent weeks trying to determine the damage caused by the quake, and are still struggling to get aid to the most remote and worst affected areas.Water supplies also took a hit on the country's main island after they were damaged by the tremors.Papua New Guinea is no stranger to earthquakes, as it sits on the 'ring of fire' in the Pacific Ocean.The Ring of Fire forms a horse-shoe shape and affects more than a dozen counties. About 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes, and 81 per cent of the largest earthquakes occur in this area.More to come. </s> A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea's New Britain island on Friday, initially triggering a tsunami warning for surrounding coastlines, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The shallow quake struck close to the coast, 162 km south-west of Rabaul, a much more remote region than the country's mountainous mainland highlands where a magnitude 7.5 tremor struck on February 26, killing 100 people.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) issued a threat warning for the country's coastline located within 300 km of the quake's epicentre, but later advised that the threat had passed.

Dellie Minding, a receptionist at the Rabaul Hotel in the east of New Britain, around 20 minutes from the coast, said the earthquake was felt, with many guests running outside, but there was no damage.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs at the western Southern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 300 others.