A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New guinea in the South Pacific but did not generate a Pacific-wide tsunami, officials said this morning.

The magnitude 6.6 quake struck 19 miles south-southeast of Taron, Papua New Guinea at a depth of more than 40 miles about 6:04 a.m. Sunday (10:04 a.m. Saturday, Hawaii time), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach said that while no Pacific-wide tsunami was generated, earthquakes of this size can produce locally destructive tsunamis near the epicenter.