1st LD Writethru: 6.0 magnitude quake hits off Papua New Guinea coast, no tsunami warning issued

SYDNEY, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The coast of Papua New Guinea has been rocked with a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on Friday, 59 km northwest of the town of Finschhafen in the Morobe Province, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake struck at 0250 GMT at a depth of 52.7 km.

USGS said there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage due to the location's rural surroundings.

However, recent earthquakes in the area have been known to cause secondary hazards such as landslides and liquefaction that may cause losses.

No tsunami warning was issued at the moment. However geologists are monitoring the situation closely. Enditem