Papua New Guinea was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.9 degrees on the Richter scale on Sunday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) announced.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 23 kilometers northeast of the town of Ambunti, and seismic activity remains high in the region with a series of aftershocks in neighboring Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.
About 20 minutes after the first one, several other earthquakes with magnitudes above five followed.
Indonesia’s Gorontalo was hit by a 4.9-magnitude earthquake an hour later, and Gizo in the Solomon Islands and Indonesia’s Ende were hit by 5.1-magnitude and 5.7-magnitude earthquakes.
According to preliminary data, there were no human casualties or material damage in the earthquakes, which were approximately 64 kilometers deep underground.
Papua New Guinea lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where most major earthquakes and volcanic activity occur.
Twenty-one people died in the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in September 2022.
