Countries in the region have been warned of a tsunami alert following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the South Pacific.
According to a foreign news agency, the US Geological Survey said that between Wednesday and Thursday night, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at Wau, 415 km east of New Caledonia. The US Government's Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert following the quake.
The warning said strong waves were expected from Fiji, New Zealand and Veneto, a country of 80 small islands. According to the Fiji Meteorological Department, the waves hit the country's shores at a height of 0.3 meters.
The Australian Meteorological Department also confirmed the tsunami. The Meteorological Department also issued a tsunami alert to residents of Lord Howe Island.
On the other hand, the New Zealand Emergency Management Agency has also issued a statement instructing the people living in the coastal areas to evacuate. The statement said that after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, unusually high waves could hit the coastal areas.
A tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in 2004 killed 220,000 people in the region.
