A tsunami warning has been issued for the Pacific islands of New Caledonia following a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in nearby waters.
“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1,000km [620 miles] of the earthquake epicentre,” the PTWC said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to The Guardian, the earthquake was a “shallow 10km [6 miles] deep”. Earthquakes are generally more destructive when the epicentre is near the surface.
However, while the PTWC confirmed that “tsunami waves have been observed”, their impact on land has been limited and there are no reported casualties, says ABC News.
Judith Rostain, a journalist based in New Caledonia’s capital, Noumea, said there was “no damage to the city” and that the threat of a tsunami appears to have passed, reports Sky News.
Meanwhile in Vanuatu, Dan McGarry, from the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper, told ABC that “the waves travelled only a couple of metres beyond the normal tidal waves and that everybody was fine”.
The Directorate for Civil Protection and Risk Management of New Caledonia (DSCGR) had sent islanders a text ordering an “immediate evacuation” to refuge areas.
“If you don’t have time to prepare your evacuation, get more than 300m away from the coast and/or get to a height of more than 12m,” the text said.
-
‘Let 2026 be a year of reckoning’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why is Iran facing its biggest protests in years?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Iranians are taking to the streets as a growing movement of civic unrest threatens a fragile stability
-
How prediction markets have spread to politicsThe explainer Everything’s a gamble
-
‘Lumpy skin’ protests intensify across France as farmers fight cullIN THE SPOTLIGHT A bovine outbreak coupled with ongoing governmental frustrations is causing major problems for French civil society
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
The Louvre’s security measures are in hot water after a major heistIn the Spotlight Millions of dollars in jewels were stolen from the museum
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
