3 dead, 1,000 homes destroyed after 6.9-magnitude quake jolts Papua New Guinea: media

SYDNEY, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Local media reported on Monday that three people died and at least 1,000 homes were destroyed after a 6.9-magnitude quake jolted Papua New Guinea (PNG) over the weekend.

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey indicated that a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the Pacific island country on Sunday.

With a depth of 40.2 km, the epicenter was determined to be at 4.139 degrees south latitude and 143.159 degrees east longitude, located approximately 38 kilometers east-northeast of Ambunti.

Several regions in PNG's East Sepik province, including Ambunti and Wewak, bore the brunt caused by the earthquake.

PNG's daily newspaper Post Courier revealed that the disaster has claimed three lives to date, including a mother and her child in Jikinumbu village and a boy in Sotmeri village.

At least 1,000 homes were destroyed after the earthquake hit parts of the East Sepik province, which was already under strain from flooding, according to PNG's newspaper The National.