A magnitude 6.7 strong earthquake hit the New Ireland region of Papua New Guinea at 1419 GMT Tuesday night, the US Geological Survey reported on Tuesday.

The epicenter was initially determined to be 5.3 degrees south latitude and 153.4 degrees east longitude, about 830 kilometers east-northeast of Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea, according to a bulletin released by the Hong Kong Observatory on Tuesday.

The US Geological Survey says the quake hit the region at a depth of 35 km under sea bed.

There were no report of casualties or damage.

Papua New Guinea sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", where continental plates meet that cause frequent volcanic movements.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2009)