Earthquake strikes New Britain

NEW BRITAIN, Papua New Guinea, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea Thursday morning but there was no word from authorities on casualties or damage.

The island is about 290 miles northeast of Port Moresby in the Pacific. The quake struck at a depth of 20 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

As of 3:20 p.m. local time, more than 3 hours after the quake struck, no tsunami warning had been issued, authorities said.