5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Papua New Guinea: US Geological Survey

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Sydney: A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit 125 kilometres (77 miles) southwest of the town of Panguna on Bougainville Island at 8:00 pm local time (10:00 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Strong earthquakes are common in the impoverished country, which sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

A giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country's northwest coast.

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