Daily Times

Just a day after a powerful earthquake of 7.7 magnitude, southeast of the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia suffered another jolt Saturday which was measured at 7.1 on a Richter scale, said US Geological Survey. It also noted that the epicentre was 35 kilometres (22 miles) deep and located about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of the New Caledonian archipelago. “It lasted maybe two seconds, not too big,” said Nancy Jack, manager of the beachfront Friendly Beach Bungalows on the Vanuatu island of Kana, adding that “no large waves could be seen.” Just minutes after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake, a 6.5-magnitude aftershock hit the same, which struck at 12:51 pm (0151 GMT). In an update, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that any tsunami waves are expected to be less than 0.3 metres (one foot) high. The centre also said the waves may reach the Pacific islands of Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna after earlier issuing a warning for coasts within 300 kilometres of the epicentre. Following the quake, Australia’s meteorology bureau said there was no tsunami threat to mainland Australia, islands and territories.