A tsunami warning was issued for Papua New Guinea after a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of New Britain Island on Saturday morning, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake, which occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, hit at 6:04am local time, around 194 kilometres southeast of Kimbe. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves between one and three metres were expected, with smaller waves also possible in parts of the Solomon Islands. A second, weaker quake measuring 5.3 struck the same region about 30 minutes later. Papua New Guinea lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone known for frequent seismic activity, where such quakes can also trigger landslides, though major damage is uncommon in remote areas.
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