A 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the South Pacific Ocean island of Vanuatu, according to the US Geological Survey, sparking a tsunami warning for the region that was subsequently cancelled. On Sunday, the quake struck about 11:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. GMT). According to the agency, it was centered 23 kilometers (14 miles) from Port Olry and struck at a depth of 27 kilometers (17 miles). According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, a tsunami warning issued for neighboring Vanuatu beaches has gone.
Following the initial warning, several Vanuatu people moved to higher ground. Kayson Pore, a 22-year-old student from the Espiritu Santo settlement of Hog Harbor, claimed he felt a “very large” earthquake. “We were right on the sea, hunting for crab along the coast,” he explained. “We ran for our lives, then for our houses.” The tremor had knocked furniture to the ground at his home in the community of roughly 1,000 people, smashing mugs in the kitchen, Pore said. “People were fleeing to higher ground,” he said, citing the threat of a massive tidal wave. Pore, on the other hand, claimed to have noticed no structural damage to dwellings in his town. So yet, there have been no reports of damage or injuries. Vanuatu is made up of several dozen islands and has a population of 280,000 people. It is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates intersect, and it is subject to regular seismic and volcanic activity.
A 7.0 earthquake struck the Solomon Islands, an island country north of Vanuatu, in November. There were no reports of major casualties or property damage. The coastal districts of neighboring Papua New Guinea have been warned of tsunami waves of up to 30cm (12 inches). In a Facebook post, the French embassy in Vanuatu encouraged citizens to avoid the coastlines.
