SYDNEY, Oct 24: A magnitude 7.2 earthquake off Vanuatu triggered a tsunami warning on Saturday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
"Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters... hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 km of the earthquake epicenter," the Hawaii-based monitor warned after the shallow quake in waters around the island nation of Vanuatu.
7.7 magnitude earthquake in far Pacific creates small tsunami o...
The quake's epicenter was around 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of Vanuatu's Port-Olry, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), which later revised the magnitude of the tremor down to 6.9. It also reported a second quake of magnitude 6.3 nearby.
Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago that straddles the tectonic Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic activity stretching through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Following the earthquake, the tsunami warning was lifted.
Vanuatu's Geological Hazards Department had earlier issued a warning for people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.
Vanuatu's former prime minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau wrote on Facebook that there had been continuing aftershocks, counting five quakes on Saturday, and urged residents to "be safe" and check apps regularly.
