Vanuatu Tsunami: Small Waves Warning for Pacific Islands

Vanuatu Tsunami: It has been warned that small waves might hit Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Guam, and other Pacific islands.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reported that a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the distant Pacific caused modest tsunami waves in Vanuatu, as waves less than 1.5 feet in height were detected near the port city of Lenakel. It noted that smaller waves were observed elsewhere.

The National Disaster Management Office of Vanuatu recommended residents to leave coastal regions for higher ground and advised them to keep an eye on their radios for updates as well as take other safety precautions. The National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand also stated that it anticipated severe and unusual currents in coastal locations.

Small waves might potentially affect the Pacific islands of Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Guam, and others.

The Loyalty Islands, southwest of Fiji, north of New Zealand, and east of Australia, according to the US Geological Survey, were close to the epicentre of the earthquake. It was located in a region that is a portion of the "Ring of Fire," a ring of seismic faults that surrounds the Pacific Ocean, and it was 37 kilometres (23 miles) deep. This area is where the majority of earthquakes on earth happen.