VANUATU (Commonwealth Union)_A 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the South Pacific Ocean island of Vanuatu, according to the US Geological Survey, sparking a tsunami warning for the region that was later cancelled.
On Sunday, the quake struck around 11:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. GMT). According to the agency, it was centred 23 kilometres (14 miles) from Port Olry and struck at a depth of 27 kilometres (17 miles).
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, a tsunami warning issued for neighbouring Vanuatu beaches has gone. Following the initial warning, several Vanuatu people moved to higher ground.
Kayson Pore, a 22-year-old student from the Espiritu Santo settlement of Hog Harbour, claimed he felt a “very large” earthquake.
“We were right on the sea, looking for crab along the coast,” he explained. “We ran for our lives, then for our houses.”
The tremor had knocked furniture to the ground at his home in the village of roughly 1,000 people, breaking mugs in the kitchen, Pore said.
“People were fleeing to higher ground,” he said, citing the threat of a massive tidal wave. Pore, on the other hand, claimed to have noticed no structural damage to dwellings in his town. So yet, there have been no reports of damage or casualties.
Vanuatu is made up of several dozen islands and has a population of 280,000 people. It is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide, and it is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
A 7.0 earthquake struck the Solomon Islands, a small island nation north of Vanuatu, in November. There have been no reports of major casualties or property damage.
The coastal regions of neighbouring Papua New Guinea have been warned of tsunami waves of up to 30cm (12 inches). In a message on its official Facebook page, the French embassy in Vanuatu encouraged citizens to avoid the coasts.
