Story highlights A magnitude 7.9 quake has struck off Papua New Guinea

The USGS estimates 72,000 people would have felt severe shaking

(CNN) A magnitude 7.9 earthquake has struck west of Papua New Guinea.

The quake was 153 kilometers (95.5 miles) deep and centered 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of the town of Panguna, according to the US Geological Survey

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has advised that tsunami waves of up to a meter above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Papua New Guinea and nearby Solomon Islands.

Preliminary reports said the earthquake, which occurred at 2:30 p.m. local time Sunday (11:30 p.m. Saturday ET) measured 8.0 but USGS later downgraded its magnitude.

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