Papua New Guinea hit by two quakes

Two earthquakes strike eastern Papua New Guinea but there is no fear of a tsunami or reports of damage.

Two earthquakes struck eastern Papua New Guinea on Wednesday but there was no fear of a tsunami or reports of damage, seismologists said.

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The first quake, which reached 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck at 4:55 am (0025 IST) 90 kilometers of the largest city Lae at a depth of 47 kilometers.

That was followed 13 minutes later by a 5.5-magnitude quake in the same area at a depth of 63 kilometers.

Lae was hit by a strong 6.7-magnitude shaker in November, which plunged parts of the city into darkness.

Papua New Guinea sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where several tectonic plates collide, causing frequent earthquakes.