No tsunami threat to Hawaii after strong quake hits Papua New Guinea

Mar. 23—A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, but did not pose a tsunami threat to Hawaii, authorities said today.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at about 9:22 a.m. (Hawaii time) near Ambunti in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea, at a depth of about 22 miles. It was followed by a magnitude 5.1 aftershock less than 20 minutes later, according to USGS.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

"Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.