At least five people were killed and an estimated 1,000 homes destroyed when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked flood-stricken northern Papua New Guinea, officials said Monday.

"So far, around 1,000 homes have been lost," said East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, adding that emergency crews were "still assessing the impact" from a tremor that "damaged most parts of the province."

Dozens of villages nestled on the banks of the country's Sepik River were already dealing with major flooding when the quake struck early on Sunday morning.

Provincial police commander Christopher Tamari told AFP that authorities had recorded five deaths, but the number of fatalities "could be more."