Strong earthquake rocks Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY (AP) — A powerful earthquake has rattled the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, and a local tsunami is possible.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the 7.1-magnitude quake struck Thursday about 94 miles southwest of the town of Panguna on Bougainville Island.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 186 miles of the epicenter on the coasts of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

The earthquake was 6 miles deep.

The archipelago sits on the Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common.