Earthquake hits New Ireland area

A 6.3-MAGNITUDE earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea yesterday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake hit the remote New Ireland region at 7.56pm local time at a depth of 70km, 128km from Rabaul, East New Britain, and 850km from the capital Port Moresby.
Strong earthquakes are common in PNG, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
A giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape.  – AFP