Phivolcs: No Tsunami Threat from Papua New Guinea Earthquake

Philippine seismologists dispels fears of a tsunami hitting the country from a magnitude-6.9 quake that struck Papua New Guinea before noon Friday, report said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the jolt occurred at 11:34 a.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9.

In its advisory, Phivolcs said there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake, noting
there is no destructive Pacific-wide threat based on the historical and tsunami data.

It said quakes of such magnitude can sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive within 100 kilometers of the epicenter.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage, said residents in nearby towns.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the undersea quake struck in a narrow strait between New Britain’s south coast and the north coast of Papua New Guinea’s main island.

Source: GMA News Online

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