7.4 quake rocks Papua New Guinea
May 05, 2015 08:41
A powerful earthquake rattled the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, and officials warned that a local tsunami was possible.
The 7.4-magnitude quake struck about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the town of Kokopo in northeastern Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 63 kilometers (40 miles), the US Geological Survey reported, downgrading its original estimate that the quake was magnitude 7.5 and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the epicenter.
There were no immediate reports of waves being seen and no reports of damage, said Chris McKee, assistant director Geophysical Observatory in the capital, Port Moresby.
"The earthquake is offshore and the nearby land areas are fairly sparsely populated," McKee said.
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