SYDNEY: A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea Monday, US seismologists said, with “hazardous” tsunami waves possible in areas near the epicenter although no major damage was immediately reported.

The quake hit at a depth of 33 km, some 55 km from the nearest city of Kokopo on New Britain island and 787 km from the capital Port Moresby, the US Geological Survey said.

“Based on all available data... hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said as a result of the quake, which was estimated earlier at 7.7 magnitude before being revised.

The tsunami risk was expected to be limited to PNG, with waves of between 1-3 meters possible. Much smaller waves of less than 30 cm above the tide level could affect the coasts of other areas of the Pacific, including Australia, Japan, Philippines, New Caledonia, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu.