7.9 quake shakes PNG, tsunami alert rescinded

A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea yesterday, shaking homes and sparking a tsunami alert, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. The tsunami warning for the Pacific island nation and its neighbours was later cancelled. The tremor struck 40 kilometres west of Panguna on Papua New Guinea's Bougainville island at a depth of 153 kilometres at 3:30pm local time.