Panic in Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY: A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, sending frightened residents fleeing from their homes, but a threatened tsunami passed without incident, seismologists said.

The quake struck 133 kilometers (83 miles) south-southwest of the town of Kokopo in the New Britain region at a depth of 63 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said, and was followed by a 5.9 magnitude aftershock.