Strong quake rocks PNG

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (CNN) -- A powerful earthquake centered off the coast of Papua New Guinea may have left at least two people dead and caused widespread damage, an official with the country's geological survey said.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake also caused two tsunamis after it struck at 4:45 a.m. local time Monday (1844 GMT Sunday), said Chris McKee, assistant director of the Geological Survey in Papua New Guinea.

"We are hearing many reports of houses collapsing, electricity disrupted, and we are hearing reports of one bridge that has been damaged," he said. Water pipes were also broken, he added.

The quake was centered about 50 miles (80 km) to the west-northwest of Wewak, in eastern Papua New Guinea on the northern coast.

AUDIO Chris McKee of the Papua New Guinea Geological Survey 2.62 MB / 2 Mins 5 Secs WAV sound   EXTRA INFORMATION • Flash animation: Major earthquakes of 20th century     MAGNITUDE GUIDE Below is an interactive guide to earthquake magnitude and severity: Magnitude: Less than 3.5 3.5 - 5.4 Under 6.0 6.1 - 6.9 7.0 - 7.9 8 or greater

One tsunami near Wewak had an amplitude, or height above sea level, of 1 to 2 meters, McKee said.

A second, 217 miles (350 km) to the east of the epicenter, had an amplitude of 1 meter, he said.

The reports brought to mind the devastating tsunami that struck Papua New Guinea in 1998, not far from Wewak, killing more than 2,000 people.

But McKee pointed out the quake in that instance generated a 15-meter tsunami, much higher than the ones caused Monday.

Reports of the two deaths were unconfirmed.

He said there was one report of a person in Wewak who broke his leg after he jumped out of an elevated home when the shaking began.

While many parts of Papua New Guinea are difficult to reach, McKee believed officials could reach Wewak, a major town, soon.

"It has reasonable infrastructure, and we should have people on the ground there by early afternoon today," he said.