A 7.0 magnitude earthquake has struck Papua New Guinea only a week after an even bigger quake and aftershocks claimed more than 100 lives.

The latest earthquake hit at 6:39am New Zealand time, 44km north-east of Taron.

On February 26th, a 7.5 magnitude quake hit the border region of Hela and Southern Highland provinces, 600km from the capital Port Moresby.

It destroyed buildings, flattened several villages, caused massive landslides, severed communications and damaged many roads. Power is still out in most quake-hit regions. The death toll was put at up to 75, but a 6.7-magnitude aftershock has brought that toll into the hundreds.

"Relief efforts have been extremely slow and hard due to the damaged roads and communication difficulties," said Udaya Regmi, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in PNG.

It is not yet known if the latest quake caused any damage or fatalities.

Newshub.