Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Hits Papua New Guinea

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake occurred Sunday in Papua New Guinea, the United States Geological Survey said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Aftershocks were registered at 08:16 local time on Sunday (22:16 GMT on Saturday). The epicentre of the quake was located 76 kilometres (47 miles) to the northeast of Lae, the second largest city in Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 46 kilometres (some 29 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

No information about the damage or casualties was immediately available.

In Papua New Guinea, which is part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, earthquakes are frequent due to the intense seismic activity.