'Very strong' 6.9 earthquake hits near Papua New Guinea, tsunami alert lifted

An earlier tsunami warning for the country's northern coast has now been lifted.

By RNZ

Assessment teams have been deployed in Papua New Guinea after a magnitude 6-point-9 magnitude earthquake this afternoon.

An earlier tsunami warning for the country's northern coast has now been lifted.

The quake struck at a depth of 85 kilometres, not far from the town of Wau in the rugged interior of the mainland.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had earlier said hazardous waves were possible within 300 kilometres of the epicentre, which would include the city of Lae.

People spoken to by RNZ Pacific have said the quake was very strong, but there are no reports of damage yet.

The quake, which was initally measured by the US Geological Survey as magnitude 7-point-3, was widely felt in PNG's capital Port Moresby.

Its epicentre is about two-hundred kilometres north of Moresby, and even closer to the country's second biggest city of Lae in Morobe Province.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 occurred in the eastern new guinea region, Papua New Guinea at 0250 UTC on Friday July 17 2020.

HAZARDOUS TSUNAMI WAVES FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 300 KM OF THE EPICENTER ALONG THE COASTS OF PNG

— tsunami watch (@tsunamiwatch) July 17, 2020

The tsunami warning centre said the magnitude was 7.3.

Breaking: Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea. Authorities say hazardous tsunami waves are possible on the eastern coast of the island. pic.twitter.com/Dugvf1YO4Y

— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) July 17, 2020