A powerful magnitude 7.5 quake struck off the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the US Geological Survey reported.
It said the quake, which struck at 3:55am local time , was centered 60km southwest of the town of Port-Vila and was quite shallow, at a depth of 40.5km.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the major quake had not triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami but said: "Earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometres of the earthquake epicentre."
Reuters