An earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea but there was no threat of a major tsunami, officials said Thursday.

The 5.6 magnitude quake struck beneath the Pacific Ocean 531 miles northeast of the South Pacific island nation's capital Port Moresby at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday (9:20 a.m. EDT), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected.

There were no immediate reports of local damage.