Magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattles Papua New Guinea, but there is no tsunami alert or damage report

Authorities say a strong magnitude 6.5 earthquake has struck Papua New Guinea, but there is no tsunami alert or immediate report of damage

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A strong magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Monday, authorities said, but there was no tsunami alert or immediate report of damage.

The quake struck the South Pacific Island nation 110 kilometers (68 miles) southeast of the West New Britain provincial capital Kimbe at a depth of 68 kilometers (42 miles) shortly before 7 a.m. local time (21:00 GMT), the U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami alert.