A magnitude 7 quake struck off the coast of the Pacific state of Vanuatu late Sunday night, according to the US Geological Survey, triggering a short-term tsunami warning for the region. The quake struck at around 11:30 am. local time (12:00 30 Moscow time) at a depth of only 27 km, according to the institute, and 25 km from the village of Port Olry.
A tsunami warning was issued for Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, but it was canceled about an hour and a half after the quake.
The Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said: “On some coasts of Vanuatu, tsunami waves from 0.3 to 1 meter above high tide are possible.”
He added that waves of less than 30 cm are possible in New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.
The French Embassy in Vanuatu advised citizens to stay away from the beach in a Facebook post.
Residents reported the damage in comments on social networks.
“Big quake,” someone wrote on Facebook, adding, “A lot of things are broken.”
New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency confirmed there was no risk of a tsunami.
Vanuatu is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide and seismic and volcanic events often occur.
In November, the nearby Solomon Islands, north of Vanuatu, were hit by a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake, although there were no reports of casualties or major damage.
In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake followed by a tsunami hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving 4,300 people dead and missing.
According to the annual Global Risk Report, Vanuatu is among the countries most at risk from natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and tsunamis.
