A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island early Saturday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake, which hit at 6:04 AM local time (2004 GMT), occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Its epicenter was located approximately 194 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Kimbe, the nearest major town.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami warning, which was later lifted.

"Based on all available data the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed," the center said, adding that "no tsunami was observed" at the nearest monitoring site.

Despite the tremor's strength, there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

“We did feel the earthquake here,” said Marolyn Simbiken, a receptionist at Kimbe’s Liamo Reef Resort, in an interview with AFP. “But there’s no big damage. Nothing was damaged here and there was no evacuation.”

Barbara Aibilo, a staff member at Walindi Plantation Resort, also described feeling a “slight shake.”

Following the initial jolt, a series of smaller aftershocks were recorded in the same offshore region, with magnitudes ranging from 4.9 to 5.3, according to the USGS.

Papua New Guinea lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a geologically active zone prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. While many quakes in the region occur in remote or sparsely populated areas, they can occasionally trigger dangerous landslides or tsunamis.

PHIVOLCS: No tsunami threat to the Philippines

Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that the earthquake was recorded at magnitude 7.2 based on its own monitoring systems. The tremor was located at 6.2°S, 151.6°E in the New Britain region and was registered at 4:05 a.m. (Philippine time).

While the advisory confirmed there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines, PHIVOLCS warned that hazardous tsunami waves remain possible for coastal areas located within 300 kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.