Tsunami warning as 8.0 magnitude earthquake hits Pacific Ocean east of Papua New Guinea

A TSUNAMI warning has been issued after an 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has said widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible.

Waves could possibly strike in the next three hours along some coasts of not only Papua New Guinea but also Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Nauru, Kosrae and Vanuatu.

New Zealand's civil defence department also issued a tsunami warning following the quake, reports the BBC.

“We're continuing to assess the situation, at this stage we are advising New Zealanders to stay off the beaches, stay out of the water, not to go sightseeing and to listen to the radio and TV," a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management said.

"At this stage the warning's been issued from the whole of NZ," she said.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-7.9 quake struck 29 miles east of Taron in Papua New Guinea on Saturday – 61 miles deep.

Deeper earthquakes tend to cause less damage than shallow ones.

The quake rattled residents near the epicenter on the island of New Ireland, but was not felt in Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, said Mathew Moihoi, an official with the Geophysical Observatory.

There were no immediate reports of damage, though officials were still assessing the situation, he said.

A tsunami measuring less than three feet hit the coast of the island of New Ireland shortly after the earthquake, said Felix Taranu, seismologist with the Geophysical Observatory in the capital, Port Moresby.

There were no immediate reports of damage from the tsunami or the quake, though officials were still working to contact people on the island, he said.

The quake knocked items off shelves and caused a blackout in the town of Kokopo in northeastern Papua New Guinea, Taranu said. But there were no reports of widespread damage in the town.

It comes after a mega-tear in the Earth’s crust sparked fears of massive tsunamis and mega-quakes.

The rip in the sea floor runs through the Ring of Fire – a treacherous spot in the Pacific Ocean known for deadly quakes and volcanic activity.

The Ring Of Fire stretches from New Zealand, around east coast of Asia, Canada and the USA and all the way to Southern Africa.

Earlier this month a massive 7.7 magnitude quake hit the nearby Soloman Islands triggering a tsunami warning across the Pacific for several hours afterwards.

Slightly more powerful quakes in the islands in 2007 and 2013 killed 52 and nine people respectively.

And last month a huge 7.8 magnitude earthquake, with a 6.3 magnitude aftershock rocked New Zealand - killing two people.