7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes PNG, tsunami warning "passed"

An earthquake measuring 7.7-magnitude struck some 45 km northeast of Kokopo, in the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The shallow earthquake which hit at a depth of around 10 km had triggered a tsunami alert for the country and surrounding areas, but the alert has already passed based on available data, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The USGS estimated that damage and injuries would be low as Kokopo is a remote town with more than 20,000 population.

The quake, which occurred at 10:58 p.m. local time (12:58 GMT), was initially determined to be at 4.211 degrees south latitude and 152.481 degrees east longitude.

Papua New Guinea is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, to the east of Indonesia. Earthquakes are common in the country, which sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean.