Papua New Guinea lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire – an area in the Pacific Ocean heavily subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. 90 percent of all seismic activities occur in this region.
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake has hit off the coast of Papua New Guinea, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
The tremor occurred at 14:13 UTC. The epicentre of the quake was located at a depth of 76 kilometres and hit a region 77 kilometres east of the town of Panguna.
There have been no reports of any casualties or destruction caused by the earthquake so far.