By JASON SOM KAUT
TWO strong earthquakes rocked Morobe province early yesterday morning.
The epi-centre was located at Kabwum district along the Finnistere and Sarawaget ranges.
The first, a magnitude 6.2 lasted three minutes was followed 15 minutes later by an after-shock measuring 6.1 on the Ritcher scale.
No reports of damages in Kabwum have been filed but the Morobe Disaster Office was monitoring the situation.
Neighbouring Tewai-Siassi district’s acting administrator Lingkeo Mesere said there were no immediate reports of damages at Wasu, Sialum and Bunsil station at Siassi.
Morobe disaster office director Roy Kamen said the quakes occurred 5.9 degrees south and 146.8 degrees east and were caused by tectonic plate movements in the Bismarck Sea.
The first quake was centered 88.5km north of Lae and 50km deep while the aftershock, which lasted longer than three minutes, struck 74km north of Lae and was deeper at 62km.
Both quakes struck on land near the eastern coast of PNG and were unlikely to cause a tsunami, according to US Geological Survey reports.
The Pacific Tsunami Centre, which monitors possible tsunami’s around the world, did not issue any warning.
A stronger earthquake with a 6.7 magnitude struck the region on Nov 23 last year.