PNG: A magnitude-5.0 offshore earthquake occurs off the southern coast of East New Britain Province at around 22:13 Aug. 15

A magnitude-5.0 earthquake occurred in the Solomon Sea off the southern coast of East New Britain Province at around 22:13 Aug. 15. The epicenter was about 116 km (72 miles) south of Kokopo, East New Britain Province. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 35 km (22 miles), and light shaking was probably felt through much of East New Britain and parts of eastern West New Britain and central and southern New Ireland provinces. There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake; however, significant damage is unlikely. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Light aftershocks are likely 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.