ISTANBUL, March 24 — Papua New Guinea was hit with a magnitude 6.9 earthquake Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicentre was 23 kilometres northeast of the town of Ambunti and seismic activity remained high in the region with a series of aftershocks in neighbouring Indonesia and Solomon Islands, Anadolu Agency reported.
Approximately 20 minutes after the first tremor, a magnitude 5.1 quake also hit the epicentre while a magnitude 5.2 convulsion struck the area later.
Indonesia’s Gorontalo was hit by a magnitude 4.9 quake an hour later and Solomon Islands’ Gizo and Indonesia’s Ende were hit with earthquakes of magnitude 5.1 and 5.7, respectively, later in the day.
There was no loss of life or property from the quakes, which were approximately 64 kilometers deep underground, according to initial reports.
Papua New Guinea lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic activity occur.
Twenty-one people died in a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck the country in September 2022.
— Bernama-Anadolu
