CANBERRA, Australia - The magnitude 7.2 quake hit around 7:20 a.m. about 33 kilometers (21 miles) southeast of Bulolo, in the country's east. It struck at a depth of 127 kilometers (79 miles), U.S. Geological Survey said. There was no tsunami threat.
Christopher Lam said the rumble was audible in Lae, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Bulolo. "It was big. You can hear it. Got stuff thrown around in the house and the power is now cut off," he tweeted, alongside a video that showed his home rattling.
Mathew Moihoi, an official at Papua New Guinea's Geophysical Observatory in the capital Port Moresby, said there had been no reports of major damage.
"We think that damage might be minimal at this stage," Moihoi said.
