Aftershock 7.0 earthquake hits New Caledonia coast

A magnitude 7.0 aftershock has struck off the coast of New Caledonia, hours after the French territory was hit by an earthquake. An initial tsunami threat has now passed, however.

The aftershock comes after an earthquake struck 168.2 km (104.5 miles) from the small town of Tadine on the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. 

Tsunami alerts have been issued for both New Caledonia and nearby Vanuatu, a state in the South Pacific consisting of 80 islets with a population of 270,000 people. Authorities in New Caledonia have called for an “immediate evacuation” of people to designated areas.

New Caledonia sits on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ – an arc of seismic faults where earthquakes and volcanic activity regularly occur.

A tsunami threat following the earthquake has now passed, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

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