JAYAPURA

A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northern Papua on Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of damage, the US Geological Survey said.

No tsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit at 10:39am on the Papua coast 198 kilometres from Jayapura and 264 kilometres from Vanimo in Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 18 kilometres, the USGS said.

The country is battling the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in central Java that has killed at least 259 people and a tsunami off western Sumatra, triggered by an undersea quake, which killed 428 in October and left tens of thousands homeless.