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.
-
October 19 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Prime minister shocks France with resignationSpeed Read French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation after less than a month in office
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
The France-Indonesia push for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solutionTalking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
