6.6-magnitude quake hits PNG

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea early on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit the remote New Ireland region at 6:04 am (2004 GMT Saturday) at a depth of 66 kilometres (40 miles), 124 kilometres from Rabaul, New Britain, and 843 kilometres from the capital Port Moresby.

Strong earthquakes are common in impoverished PNG, which sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

A giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country's northwest coast.

AFP