7-magnitude earthquake hits western Papua New Guinea

By Le Figaro with AFP

published On 02/04/2023 at 21:46to update On 02/04/2023 at 23:12

A strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake jolted northwest Papua New Guinea before dawn on Monday, the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS) said. The epicenter of the quake, which occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Monday (1800 GMT Sunday), was located 97 kilometers from the coastal city of Wewak, at a depth of 62 kilometers, according to the USGS.

No tsunami warning was issued. The institute said the dissolution of soft soil in the quake zone could affect the local population, even though the area is sparsely populated. Such a release, called liquefaction, can cause subsidence, horizontal landslides and significant damage, the USGS said.

The earthquake shook an area of ​​100 km east of the border with Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. At the end of February, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain region in eastern Papua New Guinea.