A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake rattled the shores of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island early Saturday morning, prompting a tsunami warning that was later lifted. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers and was recorded at 6:04 am local time (2004 GMT), about 194 kilometers southeast of Kimbe, the nearest major town.
The initial tremor triggered concern, with the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issuing an alert. However, the warning was soon downgraded. “Based on all available data the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed,” the centre confirmed, adding that “no tsunami was observed” at the closest monitoring site.
Despite the intensity of the quake, early reports indicated minimal impact on ground. Marolyn Simbiken, a receptionist at Kimbe’s Liamo Reef Resort, said the quake was felt but caused no visible destruction. “We did feel the earthquake here,” she told AFP. “But there’s not big damage. Nothing was damaged here and there was no evacuation.”
Barbara Aibilo, a worker at the Walindi Plantation Resort, echoed a similar experience, describing the tremor as a “slight shake.”
Following the main quake, several aftershocks were reported in the same area, with magnitudes between 4.9 and 5.3, according to the USGS.
Papua New Guinea lies along the Pacific’s volatile “Ring of Fire,” a hotspot for seismic activity due to tectonic plate movements. While such earthquakes are common and usually cause limited damage due to the country’s scattered population, they can still pose serious risks such as landslides or coastal surges.
