SYDNEY: A tsunami warning has been lifted after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Vanuatu on Saturday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
The magnitude of the earthquake was revised to 6.9, down from an earlier estimate of 7.2 magnitude, the centre said in an update.
Vanuatu’s Geological Hazards Department had earlier issued a warning for people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher grounds.
The quake’s epicentre was around 200 kilometres (124 miles) north-west of Port-Olry on the island of Santo, according to geological monitor USGS. It also reported a second quake of magnitude 6.3 nearby.
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Vanuatu’s former prime minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau wrote on Facebook there had been continuing aftershocks, counting five quakes on Saturday, and urging residents to “be safe” and check apps regularly.
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.