An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 has struck Papua New Guinea, reportedly damaging property and spreading panic among residents.
The US Geological Survey (USGS), which said the quake hit eastern Papua New Guinea at 9:46am local time on Sunday, issued a tsunami warning but subsequently said the threat "has now passed".
It did, however, note that there could still be "minor sea-level fluctuations in some coastal areas".
Shaking was felt widely in the country from towns near the epicentre to the capital of Port Moresby, about 480 kilometres away.
Images and video of damage to a university in the eastern highland town of Goroka showed large cracks appearing in walls and window awnings falling during the quake.
Locals in Lae and Madang, closest to the epicentre, said the shaking was much more vigorous than previous quakes.
"Very strong, everything was like sitting on a sea -- just floating," Hivi Apokore, a worker at Jais Aben Resort near Madang, said.
The quake struck at a depth of 61 kilometres, about 67 kilometres from the town of Kainantu, the USGS said.
Papua New Guinea sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", causing it to experience frequent earthquakes.
'It was quite intense'
Geologist Renagi Ravu, who was meeting with colleagues at his home in Kainantu, said the quake lasted for around a minute.
He tried to stand up from his chair but couldn't maintain his balance and so ended up in a kind of group hug with his colleagues, while plates and cups crashed from his shelves to the ground.
His children, aged 9 and 2, had their drinks and breakfast spill over, but weren't injured.
"It's a common thing that earthquakes are felt here, but it usually doesn't last as long and is not as violent as this one," Mr Ravu said.
"It was quite intense."
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said national and provincial disaster agencies had been asked to assess the scale of damage and injuries and attend to those in need as soon as possible.
"The PNG Defence Force and Police have also been put on alert to respond to emergencies and put in place our response plan," Mr Marape said.
"I appeal to people living in coastal areas to move to higher ground."
The federal government said it extends its sympathies to those affected by the earthquake and would be happy to offer help if asked.
"Early information indicates that buildings and roads have been damaged in Lae and Goroka," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson told the ABC.
"Australia has not received a request for assistance ... but stands ready to assist."
Two earthquakes in same part of Indonesia
Also on Sunday, about 200 people were evacuated after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck in western Indonesia, the country's geophysics agency, BMKG, said.
The quake in the Mentawai Islands, west of Sumatra was reported at a depth of 27 kilometres and was followed by one of magnitude 5.3 in the same area, authorities said.
There was no danger of tsunami, they said, or reports of serious injuries.
Mentawai resident Nurjuli Hasanah said the quake felt strong and shook her wooden house.
"Some of [the residents] are still in an evacuation shelter and some have gone back home," she said.
Wires/ABC
