The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck late Saturday off the eastern coast of the island.
The quake occurred at 11:27 p.m. (9:27 a.m. ET) at a depth of 19 miles and was centered 47 miles southwest of Panguna, Papua New Guinea, The U.S. Geological Survey said.
Tsunami warnings were issued for the Solomon Islands as well after the quake, CNN reported.
The earthquake in Papua New Guinea is the latest in a series of earthquakes this week, beginning with a magnitude 7.1 in the northeast and magnitude 6.5 earthquake in the southeast on April 11.
Since then, 45 earthquakes of magnitude-4.5 or higher have occurred in the island region, CNN said.
A magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck Friday in southern Mexico between the major resort destinations of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, but caused little damage. No tsunami warnings have been issued after the quake in Mexico.
The USGS classifies any quake magnitude 7.0 to 7.9 as “major,” and any at 8.0 or more as “great.”
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