6.7 quake in south Atlantic near S Sandwich Islands: USGS

A major 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Atlantic ocean east of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, a sparsely populated British territory.

A major 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Atlantic ocean early on Tuesday east of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, a sparsely populated British territory, a US monitor said.

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The quake struck at 3:55 am (04:55 GMT) in waters 685 kilometers (425 miles) east of Bristol Island, part of an chain inhabited mainly by scientists on a series of bases, the US Geological Survey reported.

The earthquake, about 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) east of the Falkland Islands, occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles) according to USGS.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert stating there was no threat of a destructive widespread tsunami, but warned "there is the small possibility of a local or regional tsunami that could affect coasts" near the epicentre.