7.6-magnitude earthquake in New Caledonia, a tsunami warning of 3m high

The strong and shallow earthquake caused officials to order emergency evacuation by a 3-meter high tsunami that could hit New Caledonia, Vanuatu.

The strong earthquake of 7.6 degrees occurred at a depth of 10 km, about 155 km southeast of the coast of New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands at 15:30 (11:30 am Vietnam time), Reuters led the announcement of the Wave Warning Center. Pacific god (PTWWC) said.New Caledonia is a group of islands belonging to French territory in the Pacific . 90 minutes after the first earthquake, there were a series of aftershocks of 5.5 to 6 degrees.

The epicenter of the earthquake lies on the Loyalty Islands.(Photo: Guardian).

"Based on preliminary earthquake parameters, dangerous tsunamis can occur on coastlines of 1,000km from the epicenter, along the coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu," the statement said.

Authorities ordered people to "evacuate immediately " to locations more than 300 meters from the coast or to places higher than 12 meters above sea level to ensure safety.

There is no information about casualties and earthquake damage.

Residents in New Caledonia's Noumea capital said the city was not damaged and the tsunami threat seemed to have passed. However, the situation of the east coast and surrounding islands has not been determined yet.

A spokesman for the Eramet mining and metalworking group in Noumea said the company had activated the tsunami warning."We have asked people working near the sea to move to higher places , " the spokesman said, adding that the earthquake was quite strong but did not last long. Meanwhile, Dan McGarry, director of communications for the Vanuatu Daily Post, said he heard there were three small waves hitting the island south of Aneityum. These waves are only a few meters away from normal waves. " We suffer a lot of earthquakes every year, only this time there's a tsunami warning , " McGarry said.

The Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergencies of neighboring New Zealand announced that it is assessing the possibility of tsunamis after an earthquake, and predicts tsunamis can reach this country within 3 hours if available.

New Caledonia Island, France's overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean.(Photo: AP).

New Caledonia is located on the Pacific fire belt, where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic activity are concentrated. This French enclave is located 1,500km east of eastern Australia and 1,700km north of New Zealand, including more than 16,000km from France, including the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands and several other small islands.