DHAKA: A strong magnitude 6.4 earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.

ABC quoting USGS said the quake, which was initially reported at 6.9 magnitude before being revised lower, hit at a depth of 65 kilometres in the New Britain region.

“It would have been very widely felt,” said seismologist Emma Mathews from Geoscience Australia.

She said while the threshold for a local tsunami was any quake within a depth of 100 kilometres, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said that based on all the available data there was no threat of a destructive wave.

Geoscience Australia said the tremor could have been felt by people up to 836 kilometres away from its epicentre off the sparsely populated west coast of the island of New Britain, while damage could have been caused within a 67-kilometre radius.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the so-called Pacific ring of fire, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

BDST: 1127 HRS, NOV 07, 2014