Earthquake today: Papua New Guinea coast struck by magnitude 7.2 tremor

It is the latest in a series of strong tremors to hit the region in recent days

An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 has struck off Papua New Guinea

(AFP/Getty Images)

An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 has struck off Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which struck 150 km (90 miles) southwest of the town of Arawa, was relatively shallow, at 10 km (six miles).

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the epicenter on the coasts of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

It is the latest in a series of strong tremors to hit the region in recent days.

Papua New Guinea has been hit by several earthquakes over the course of a few days; one triggering a tsunami warning stretching almost 200 miles from the epicentre.

Power lines were brought down and walls cracked when a 7.5 magnitude quake hit the island of New Britain shortly before noon local time (2.44am BST) on 5 May.

A shake map released by the US Geological Survey shows the location an earthquake on 5 May, which has since been upgraded to magnitude 7.5

(EPA)

The epicentre was about 80 miles south of the town of Kokopo and 26 miles deep, according to US Geological Survey data, as the result of movement along fault lines between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates.

Tremors could be felt across New Britain, Latangai Island and Bougainville Island, and a series of eight huge aftershocks followed ranging from magnitude 4.9 to 5.9.

Additional reporting by AP, Reuters