The US’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) issued the tsunami alert for Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia shortly after the quake, which the USGS said was 24 km deep.
The epicentre was 135 km west of Isangel, on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, and 200 km north of Tadine in the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, USGS said. The quake struck at 1846 IST. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Vanuatu, which lies between Fiji and Australia and north of New Zealand, is in the “Pacific Ring of Fire” known for its seismic and volcanic activity caused by moving plates in the Earth’s crust.
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