Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Papua Guinea

An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit New Ireland in Papua Guinea, stations of the UAE's National Seismic Network of the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said on Friday, November 15.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck off the country's eastern coast. The USGS said the quake was 51 kilometres (31.6 miles) deep and located 123.2 kilometres from the closest town of Kokopo.

The Papua New Guinea National Disaster Centre said it was assessing for damage.

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There were no tsunami warnings issued following the earthquake.

Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on top of the seismic "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Although they seldom cause widespread damage in sparsely populated areas, they can trigger destructive landslides.

A 2.2-magnitude earthquake was also recorded in Musandam Coast at 03.28am UAE time, according to National Seismic Network. The tremor was not felt in the country and had no impact.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Pakistan's Islamabad and several areas of neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Geo News reported.

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