A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the South Pacific on Thursday, generating a tsunami that threatened island nations in the region.
The quake struck shortly after midnight Thursday local time (1320 GMT Wednesday) about 415 kilometers (258 miles) east of Vao in New Caledonia at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The US government’s NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “dangerous tsunami waves” were forecast for some shores.
He said waves reaching 0.3 to one meter above tide level were possible for Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu.
A 0.3-meter wave hit Fiji, according to the island’s seismology department’s Twitter account.
He did not provide further details.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology also confirmed in a tweet that a tsunami had been generated.
The bureau warned of a threat to Lord Howe Island, which lies about 550 kilometers (340 miles) east of the Australian mainland.
New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency issued a statement telling people in coastal areas to stay away from water fronts.
“We expect New Zealand’s coastal areas to experience unusual strong currents and unpredictable swells on the coast following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake,” the disaster agency said.
“People in or near the sea in the following areas should get out of the water, from beaches and coastal areas and away from ports, rivers and estuaries.”
The affected areas included the northern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, Great Barrier Island east of Auckland, and a stretch of coastline along the east of the country.
There were no initial reports of casualties or damage from the tsunami or earthquake, which was initially recorded by the USGS at a magnitude of 7.5 before being revised to 7.7.
The Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
In 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia left more than 4,300 dead or missing.
A 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in 2004, triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people across the region.
The death toll included around 170,000 in Indonesia, one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.
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