A magnitude 6.5 tremor was detected in the Pacific island state of Vanuatu on Friday, but no tsunami warning was issued, according to the US Survey of Geophysics (USGS).
The quake occurred at 7:04 p.m. Paris time, 10 kilometers deep under the sea, off the large island of Espiritu Santo and 82 kilometers southwest of the town of Port-Olry, according to the USGS.
Then a magnitude 5.4 aftershock struck northeast of the first tremor, this time underground, according to the same source. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said in a statement that there was no tsunami warning after the first tremor.
Frequent earthquakes in the region
A magnitude 7 earthquake was detected off Vanuatu in early January, according to the USGS, this time triggering a tsunami warning in the region. Part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, Vanuatu experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
The Solomon Islands, north of Vanuatu, were hit by a powerful magnitude 7 earthquake in November 2022, causing no casualties or serious damage.
However, witnesses reported tremors tossing televisions and other objects to the ground, while power outages hit the Solomon Islands capital Honiara.
The coastal regions of Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea were placed on a tsunami alert.
Source: BFM TV
