Series of earthquakes hit Samoa just hours after major tremor in Papua New Guinea

A number of 6.8 magnitude earthquakes have struck off the coast of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean – just hours after a major tremor hit Papua New Guinea.

The epicentre of the quakes was 77 miles (124km) west-southwest of the capital of Apia. There were no reported injuries or damage.

"It was like a small shake and that was it," a Samoa police spokesman said.

It came after a major 7.5 earthquake hit the coast of Papua New Guinea, in the harbour of Rabaul – prompting a Tsunami warning, which has since been lifted.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially warned that waves as high as three metres (10ft) were possible and waves less than 0.3 metres could hit other Pacific countries, as far reaching as Russia.

Papua New Guinea often is impacted by earthquakes. It's one of the most active areas, in seismic terms, in the world, thanks to high rates of friction between the Australia and Pacific plates.