7.0 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunami
 

The 1998 Papua New Guinea earthquake was a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that took place in the early evening of Friday, July 17, 1998. The earthquake struck the north coast region of Papua New Guinea, 16 miles from the coast near Aitape, and caused a large undersea landslide, which in turn caused a tsunami that hit the coast.

The tsunami resulted in at least 2,200 people being killed, thousands being injured, about 9,500 homeless and about 500 missing. The maximum height of the waves were estimated at being 59 ft high with an average height of 34 ft.