6.3-magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea: USGS

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SYDNEY—A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit the remote New Ireland region at 7:56 p.m. local time (0956 GMT) at a depth of 70 kilometers (43 miles), 128 kilometers from Rabaul, New Britain, and 850 kilometers 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.