Earthquake today: Papua New Guinea coast struck by magnitude 7.2 tremor
It is the latest in a series of strong tremors to hit the region in recent days
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 has struck off Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake, which struck 150 km (90 miles) southwest of the town of Arawa, was relatively shallow, at 10 km (six miles).
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the epicenter on the coasts of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
It is the latest in a series of strong tremors to hit the region in recent days.
Papua New Guinea has been hit by several earthquakes over the course of a few days; one triggering a tsunami warning stretching almost 200 miles from the epicentre.
Power lines were brought down and walls cracked when a 7.5 magnitude quake hit the island of New Britain shortly before noon local time (2.44am BST) on 5 May.
The epicentre was about 80 miles south of the town of Kokopo and 26 miles deep, according to US Geological Survey data, as the result of movement along fault lines between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates.
Tremors could be felt across New Britain, Latangai Island and Bougainville Island, and a series of eight huge aftershocks followed ranging from magnitude 4.9 to 5.9.
Additional reporting by AP, Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments