Strong earthquake hits South Pacific

An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale jolted Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand early Monday, the US Geological Survey reported.

An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale jolted Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand early Monday, the US Geological Survey reported.

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No casualties or damages were reported. The Kermadec Islands are uninhabited apart from Raoul, where the department of conservation maintains a field station.

The quake occurred at 3.11 a.m. New Zealand local time Monday, some 80 km south of Raoul Island, and 1, 005 km northeast of New Zealand's largest city Auckland.