Small tsunami in Vanuatu after 7.7 South Pacific quake, New Zealand on alert

Vanuatu Tsunami: Small waves were possible for Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Guam and other Pacific islands, it has been warned.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake in the far Pacific created small tsunami waves in Vanuatu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said as waves less than 1.5 feet were measured off Lenakel- a port town in the island nation. Smaller waves were measured elsewhere, it added.

The earthquake was detected at a depth of 37 kilometres (23 miles). (iStock)

Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office advised people to evacuate from coastal areas to higher grounds saying that people should listen to their radios for updates and take other precautionary measures. New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency also said that it expected coastal areas would experience strong and unusual currents.

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Small waves were possible for Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Guam and other Pacific islands, it has been warned.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake's epicenter was near the Loyalty Islands, southwest of Fiji, north of New Zealand and east of Australia. It was 37 kilometers (23 miles) deep in an area which is part of the “Ring of Fire”- an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean. Most of the world's earthquakes occur in the region.