6.7 earthquake jolts PNG, Solomons

No tsunami warnings issued.

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 struck off Bougainville island in Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. No tsunami warnings were issued.

The quake occurred at 12:52 p.m. local time Thursday (10:52 p.m. EDT Wednesday) about 136 miles south of Arawa on Bougainville island and 154 miles west of Gizo in the Solomon Islands. It occurred at a depth of about 6 miles under the ocean floor.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake was the latest event to impact the Solomon Islands. Heavy flooding northeast of Guadalcanal in the island chain has forced more than 3,000 people to flee to higher ground. An estimated 80 villages were affected.

The western Solomon Islands are still recovering from a devastating 8.1 magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami which struck on April 2. That disaster left 52 people dead and damaged or destroyed more than 6,000 homes.