Two strong quakes strike Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea was hit by two strong earthquakes around 30 minutes apart yesterday, geologists said, though no tsunami warning was issued.

A 7.3-magnitude quake hit at 11:35 pm local time (1335 GMT) around 105 kilometres east of Kandrian on New Britain island, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, at a depth of 58 kilometres.

USGS initially gave the magnitude of this quake as 6.8.

Around half an hour earlier, USGS recorded a 6.9-magnitude quake 110 kilometres east of Kandrian, at a depth of 58 kilometres.

The epicentres of both quakes were around 525 kilometres northeast of Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no threat of a widespread destructive tsunami from either quake, based on previous earthquake and tsunami data.

Papua New Guinea, which is mired in poverty despite rich mineral deposits, sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.