Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes off Vanuatu

SYDNEY — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of South Pacific nation Vanuatu on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said.

The tremor’s epicentre was about 56 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of the small coastal village of Port Olry, at a depth of 188 kilometers, according to the USGS.

There were no early reports of damage and Vanuatu’s natural hazards department did not immediately issue a tsunami warning.

READ: Magnitude-7.3 earthquake rocks Vanuatu

Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago that straddles the tectonic Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic activity stretching through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Dozens of people were killed in Indonesia after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck early on Saturday, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. /dl