Indonesia, PNG: A magnitude-5.1 earthquake occurs on New Guinea at around 23:27 Dec. 17

A magnitude-5.1 earthquake occurred on the north coast of New Guinea at around 23:27 Dec. 17. The epicenter was about 56 km (35 miles) west of Jayapura, Papua Province, Indonesia. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), and light shaking is possible throughout northern New Guinea, including in parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Aftershocks are possible over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake's epicenter.