Powerful earthquake jolts Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY A powerful earthquake rocked the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, officials said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was located 40 miles west-southwest of Panguna in Papua New Guinea. It struck at 8:31 p.m. (6:31 a.m. Eastern) at a depth of 36 miles, it said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was unlikely.

Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea. The country lies on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic activity that stretches around the Pacific Rim.

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake on the northern coast in 1998 generated a large tsunami that swamped several villages, killing about 2,200 people.