DHAKA: A major earthquake with a magnitude 7.5 struck off Papua New Guinea and a tsunami warning was issued soon after.

The epicentre of Monday morning’s quake was near the town of Rabaul in the northeast of Papua New Guinea, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The monitor initially reported a 7.7 magnitude earthquake but later downgraded it to 7.5, reports the Al Jazeera.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said “hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1,000 km of the earthquake epicentre along the coasts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands”.

The powerful quake struck at a depth of 40km and was followed by two further offshore earthquakes in the vicinity which measured 5.7 and 5.0 respectively.

Mika Tuvi, from the Rabaul Hotel, told Al Jazeera that she and other staff members ran outside when the quake started - in case the building collapsed.

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.

BDST: 0830 HRS, MAR 30, 2015