Powerful earthquake hits Vanuatu, triggers tsunami warning

Tsunami warning issued for components of the South Pacific Ocean area after 7.0 magnitude quake hits Vanuatu.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake has struck the South Pacific Ocean nation Vanuatu, the USA Geological Survey has mentioned, triggering a tsunami warning for the area.

The quake hit round 11:30pm native time (12:30 GMT) on Sunday. It was centred 23km (14 miles) from Port Olry and hit at a depth of 27km (17 miles), the company mentioned.

“Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 metre above the tide degree are doable for some coasts of Vanuatu,” mentioned the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

The centre additionally issued a tsunami warning for coasts situated inside 300km (186 miles) of the epicentre of the earthquake.

There have been no experiences of injury or casualties to this point.

Vanuatu has a inhabitants of 280,000 individuals and consists of a number of dozen islands. It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fireplace, the place tectonic plates collide, and it experiences frequent seismic and volcanic exercise.

In November, a close-by island nation north of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, was hit with a 7.0 quake. There have been no experiences of great accidents or damages.

The coastal areas of close by Papua New Guinea have been placed on alert for tsunami waves of as much as 30cm (12 inches).