Strong 6.0 earthquake hits Tonga

A strong, 6.0-magnitude earthquake rattled Tonga today but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

A strong, 6.0-magnitude earthquake rattled Tonga on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

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The undersea earthquake struck at a depth of 33 kilometres (20 miles) about 126 kilometres from the capital, Nuku'Alofa. Officials at the country's national emergency office were not immediately available to comment.

Tonga, almost 2,000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand, lies on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where continental plates collide causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.

Nine people died in Tonga in an earthquake-triggered tsunami in October 2009 that also killed 143 people in Samoa.