A deserted beach is pictured following a tsunami warning in Orewa, north of Auckland, on March 5, 2021, as tens of thousands of coastal residents in New Zealand, New Caledonia and Vanuatu fled for higher ground as a cluster of powerful earthquakes sparked a Pacific-wide tsunami alert. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
SYDNEY — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Tuesday off the coast of the Pacific island state of Vanuatu, the US Geological Survey said, prompting a warning of possible tsunami waves.
The tremor was registered at a depth of 43 kilometers (27 miles) and located just 30 kilometers west of the Vanuatu capital Port Vila, it said. The quake was initially measured at magnitude 7.4.
READ: No tsunami warning in PH after magnitude 7.0 quake in Vanuatu