Strong earthquake tremors in Papua New Guinea, Earth shakes with a magnitude of 7.6; tsunami alert

An earthquake struck east Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning. There has been an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude. There are reports of damage to several buildings. The US Geological Survey has also issued a tsunami warning. However, the agency later said that the threat was averted.

Power outages and damage to buildings have been reported in parts of Papua New Guinea due to the earthquake. Tremors were felt about 300 miles (480 kilometers) from the epicenter.

Photos and video of damage to a university in the eastern highland city of Goroka are being shared. Locals in Madang, near the epicenter of the quake, told AFP the quake was much stronger than previously reported. Hivi Apokor, a worker at Jais Aben Resort near Madang, said, “It was a very strong jolt. It felt like sitting on the sea.”

The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 61 kilometers (38 mi), about 67 kilometers from the city of Kayantu. Let us tell you that Papua New Guinea is on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, due to which it experiences frequent earthquakes.