A 7.7 magnitude earthquake, according to officials, occurred in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, southeast of New Caledonia. This earthquake prompted a tsunami warning for the states in the area, but the alert was cancelled three hours later.
The earthquake was 37 kilometres deep, according to the US Geological Survey.
To the west of Fiji and Vanuatu, in the Loyalty Islands, is the French territory of New Caledonia, where the earthquake’s epicentre was located, according to the US National Tsunami Warning Centre. Additionally, it claimed that “based on all available data, the threat of a tsunami from this earthquake has now passed.”
People had previously been warned by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) that a “devastating tsunami was likely based on the preliminary earthquake parameters for coasts within 1,000km (620 miles) of the earthquake epicentre.”
Additionally, the PTWC warned that Vanuatu could see waves that were up to 3 metres (10 feet) above tide levels and asked residents of the vulnerable coastal areas to exercise caution.
Smaller waves were predicted for Fiji, New Caledonia, Kiribati, and New Zealand, according to the centre.
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department warned that an earthquake of this size might generate “destructive tsunami waves” that are 1-3 metres (3-10 feet) in height and could hit the coastline of Vanuatu.
Along with that, Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office recommended citizens to “take suitable action and precautionary measures,” including “immediate departure from coastal areas to higher grounds.”
As a result of tsunami warnings, sirens were turned on in New Caledonia, and authorities began evacuating the coastline.
