A magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit a remote part of western Papua New Guinea killed at least three people and caused extensive damage to about 1000 homes, officials say.

The quake rocked the East Sepik region about 6.20am local time on Sunday near the town of Ambunti, about 756 kilometres north-west of the capital of Port Moresby, at a depth of about 40 kilometres.

East Sepik province governor Allan Bird said on Sunday that initial estimates show the earthquake had destroyed about 1000 homes in the area which was already “dealing with widespread flooding” from earlier in March.

“The flooding actually covers an area more than 800 kilometres long, and so there’s about maybe 60 or 70 villages involved all along the Sepik River,” Bird told the ABC on Monday.

Local emergency crews were already active in the region because of the flooding when the earthquake struck.

“The floods weren’t their biggest problem. They were confidently dealing with that because it’s something they’re used to,” Bird said.

“It was the earthquake that no one was prepared for. That would have caused the most significant damage now.”

Bird said shelter, clean water, food and canvases to keep belongings dry were the most immediate pressing needs for the village communities.

Papua New Guinea, was hit with two earthquakes in April last year, including a magnitude 7 quake that killed four people in a remote northern part of the country.

A magnitude 7.6 quake that struck a remote area of the island in September 2022 was later found to have killed 21 people.

In recent months, the island has also been beset by civil unrest with rioting in its two largest cities in January leaving 15 dead, before tribal violence killed at least 26 combatants and an unconfirmed number of bystanders last month.