Quake strikes off coast of Papua New Guinea

A 6.5-magnitude undersea earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

The quake occurred at 8:28 am local time Monday (2228 GMT) 126 kilometers west of Arawa, Bougainville, with its epicenter 215 kilometers south of the town of Rabaul at a depth of 35 kilometers, the US Geological Survey reported.

Papua New Guinea, where continental plates meet, is frequently hit by earthquakes as it sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

No tsunami warning has been issued so far, seismologists said.