Shallow 6.9 quake hits Papua New Guinea: USGS

Sydney (AFP) – A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain island of Papua New Guinea on Friday, US seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck at 5:25 pm local time (2125 GMT) and was initially recorded at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), about 162 kilometers from the New Britain town of Rabaul, the US Geological Survey said.