WELLINGTON: An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale struck the Pacific nation of Tonga on Monday, the United States Geological Survey said.
According to the USGS, the quake hit at 9:47 am local time from a depth of about 112 kilometres, and was centered in the ocean about 198 kilometres north of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa.
There are no reports of damage in Tonga.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the earthquake struck near the sparsely populated islands of Kao and Tofua, and there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
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Local resident Mary Lyn Fonua, told media the two-storey building she was in strongly swayed for few seconds.
“Then we evacuated to higher ground, locals are feeling nervous,” she added.
Earthquakes are quite common in Tonga, home to around 100,000 people that straddles the seismic Ring of Fire.
The Ring of Fire is an intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
