Powerful earthquake hits off Papua New Guinea

A powerful earthquake struck near the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea on Monday.

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck at a depth of 40 miles, about 30 miles southeast of the town of Kokopo in northeastern Papua New Guinea, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake, lifted the warning within hours. 

Officials in the capital, Port Moresby, were working to contact their counterparts in the outer provinces, but there had been no reports of damage or injuries within an hour of the quake rattling the country, said Martin Mose, acting director for Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Center. No one had reported seeing any tsunami waves, he added.

"The situation seems to be under control at this stage," he said.

The quake caused strong shaking and knocked items off shelves in Kokopo, but had not prompted any immediate reports of damage, said Chris McKee, assistant director of the Geophysical Observatory in Port Moresby. A few people in the capital reported feeling the quake as well, he said.

Papua New Guinea is located within the so-called Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Ocean basin where there are volcanic eruptions and frequent earthquakes.

The North and South Bismarck plates, the Manus Plate and the Woodlark Plate and the Solomon Sea Plate surround Papua New Guinea, according to the USGS. 

There was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the same area in November and magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Bougainville Island in April. 

Kokopo is the capital of East New Britain. The capital was moved from Rabaul after it was destroyed in 1994 by an eruption of the active Mount Tavurvur. 

Al Jazeera with wire services