New Zealand authorities early on Thursday urged residents along its north coast to avoid beaches and coastal areas after a strong earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands in the Pacific.
New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency said people should get out of the water, off beaches and away from ports, rivers and estuaries in areas from Ahipara to the Bay of Islands, Great Barrier Island and from Matata to Tolaga Bay.
“We expect New Zealand’s coastal areas to experience unusual strong currents and unpredictable swells off the coast,” the agency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, AustraliaThe Bureau of Meteorology said there was a tsunami Threat to Australian islands and offshore territories.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake was 417 km (258 miles) east of Tadine, New Caledonia, and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The quake, which improved from a previous magnitude of 7.2, followed at least three other tremors in the region with magnitudes ranging from 5.7 to 6.1 in a span of just over an hour.
The US Tsunami Warning System said there was a tsunami watch in American Samoa and that there was potential for tsunamis in other regions, including Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand.
Waves that reach a level of 1 meter (3.3 feet) above normal tide level are possible off some coasts of Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand, he added.
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