Powerful 6.9 quake strikes Papua New Guinea, casualties unknown

[News_Editor]

Powerful 6.9 quake strikes Papua New Guinea, casualties unknown

2010-12-02 10:32:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

KANDRIAN (BNO NEWS) -- A powerful earthquake rocked New Britain Island of Papua New Guinea on early Thursday afternoon, seismologists said.

The 6.9-magnitude earthquake at 1.12 p.m. local time (0312 GMT) was centered approximately 38 kilometers (23 miles) east-northeast of Kandrian, the capital of P.N.G.'s Kandrian-Gloucester District. It struck about 32.1 kilometers (19.9 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there is no destructive widespread tsunami threat following the earthquake, but warned of the possibility of a local tsunami. "Earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter," the agency said in a bulletin. "Authorities in the region of the epicenter should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action."

No tsunami warning or watches were issued and there was no immediate information about damage or casualties from the area.

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