Strong quake shakes Vanuatu

WASHINGTON - An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale Saturday shook an area 135 km west of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

“Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami was generated,” the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said on its website.

The tsunami warning had applied to Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia. However, the centre lifted the alert after no unusual activity or “major waves” were reported in the affected regions.

But it warned that “danger to boats and coastal structures can continue for several hours due to rapid currents”.

“As local conditions can cause a wide variation in tsunami wave action, the all clear determination must be made by local authorities,” it added.