Tsunami warning after South Pacific earthquake

Waves as high as three feet could hit Vanuatu, the US tsunami warning system has warned, after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake was recorded near New Caledonia.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the South Pacific on Friday, triggering tsunami warnings for a number from Pacific island nations.

Waves as high as three feet could hit Vanuatu, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Tsunami Warning System has reported. -United. Authorities in Vanuatu, an island nation of about 300,000 people, have urged residents of coastal areas to move to higher ground.

The earthquake struck the southeast of the Loyalty Islands in the French territory of New Caledonia around 2 p.m. local time on Friday.

Source: United States Geological Survey

By The New York Times

The United States agency has issued a tsunami warning for the coasts at less than 600 miles from the earthquake's epicenter, including Vanuatu. He said waves of up to a foot could hit the coasts of New Caledonia, as well as Fiji, Kiribati, Australia and New Zealand.

The agency initially said waves of up to 10 feet were possible for Vanuatu, and up to three feet for other countries in the region, but it later scaled back its estimates.

New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency said it expected the country's coastal areas to experience "strong currents and and unpredictable surges on the shore" and urged residents along its northeast coast to stay away from beaches, harbors and rivers.