A POWERFUL magnitude 6.9 earthquake has rattled Papua New Guinea, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas.
The shallow quake struck just 120 miles east of Kimbe, a coastal town in the New Britain region, around 9.04 pm local time, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The epicentre was offshore, at a depth of just six miles, amplifying tsunami fears.
The USGS warned that waves between one to three meters could slam into parts of Papua New Guinea’s coastline, while a separate advisory for the Solomon Islands cautioned about possible waves up to 0.3 meters.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, but authorities remain on high alert.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) pegged the quake at magnitude 7.1, deeper at 49 km, highlighting slight discrepancies in early readings.
New Britain, home to over 500,000 people, lies within the volatile Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity where tectonic plates constantly shift.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology and New Zealand authorities both confirmed no tsunami threat to their countries.
Emergency teams in Papua New Guinea are monitoring the situation as residents along the coast brace for potential aftershocks and rising waters.
It comes just days after a horror 7.7 magnitude earthquake ripped through Myanmar, with tremors being felt all the way in Bangkok, Thailand.
The death toll rose Thursday to 3,145 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
Information Minister Maung Maung Ohn also announced at a meeting in the capital, Naypyitaw, that 4,589 people were injured and 221 others were missing, state television MRTV reported.
The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city.
It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures.
With telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
A report issued Thursday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the earthquake and aftershocks have affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country’s 330 townships, including more than 9 million who were severely affected.
“The coming days will be critical in determining the full scale of the disaster’s impact and the response required to meet the needs of millions affected,” it said.
The secretary-general appealed to the international community to immediately step up funding for quake victims “to match the scale of this crisis,” and urged unimpeded access to reach those in need.
“The earthquake has supercharged the suffering – with the monsoon season just around the corner,” he said.
The World Health Organisation said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health centre had been completely destroyed, while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centres had been partially damaged.
Incredible footage showed a heroic dad leaping from one collapsing skyscraper to another to save his wife and daughter during the horror earthquake.
Kwon Young Jun was seen jumping across a shattered 600ft skybridge connecting two high-rise towers just moments after the deadly 7.7 magnitude quake struck neighbouring Thailand.
The South Korean dad, who lives in Bangkok, had been exercising on the 52nd floor of the Park Origin Thonglor condo complex when the tremor hit.
Without hesitation, he raced towards the split walkway between his building and the one where his wife and baby girl were.
Kwon said: “All I could think about was getting back down to the room to save my wife and child.
“I realised it was an earthquake and the building was breaking apart, but I saw the gap and just jumped.”
A huge 7.1-magnitude earthquake has also hit near Tonga and Niue in the Pacific Ocean and prompted a tsunami warning.
The US Geological Survey said the temblor hit about 62 miles northeast of the main island of Tongatapu in the early morning hours of Monday local time.
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