6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes near Papua New Guinea’s Lae

LAE: The US Geological Survey (USGS) said a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Papua New Guinea’s second-largest city, Lae, on Tuesday.

Mildred Ongige, a city police officer, told Reuters by telephone that the quake was “very large.” “It was a few minutes ago, so we don’t have any more details on the damage, but we are concerned,” she added.

There were no immediate reports of damage locally.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no tsunami warning was issued for the quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The epicenter was 26 kilometers (~16 miles) from the city of Lae, which has a population of more than 76,000 and is located in the country’s Morobe province, according to the USGS.

The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) initially put the quake at 6.8 before the agency downgraded it to 6.6.

Papua New Guinea lies on the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” a region known for frequent earthquakes.

In March last year, three people were killed and more than 1,000 homes were destroyed after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the remote East Sepik province in the country’s north.