Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake Strikes Off Vanuatu in South Pacific... Tsunami Threat Passes

Struck waters about 200 km west of Sola... magnitude downgraded from an initial 7.2 to 6.9

A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck waters near Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific. The possibility of a tsunami was raised immediately after the quake, but the threat was later deemed to have passed.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck on October 24 (local time) in waters about 200 kilometers west of Sola, Vanuatu.

The quake occurred at around 2:31 a.m. UTC that day, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Its magnitude was initially reported as 7.2 but was later downgraded to 6.9.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) warned immediately after the earthquake that a hazardous tsunami could affect the coast of Vanuatu within 300 kilometers of the epicenter.

After further analysis, however, the center announced that the tsunami threat had passed. It said minor sea-level fluctuations could occur along some coasts near the epicenter over the next few hours.

Specific figures for casualties and property damage have not yet been confirmed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.