An earthquake of magnitude 7 occurred off the Tonga Islands, in the Pacific, announced on Sunday the American Geological Institute (USGS), by raising the Tsunami alert initially feared.
The earthquake, ultimately shallow, occurred about 80 kilometers (49 miles) in the south-east of the village of Pangai, at 1:17 p.m. Swiss hour on Sunday.
“Based on all available data, the threat of tsunami linked to this earthquake is now dismissed,” said the American Tsunamis alert system in the middle of the afternoon.
“Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meter above sea level are possible on certain ribs of Niue (…) and Tonga,” he had previously announced by speaking of these two island countries of the South Pacific.
The organization had initially warned that “dangerous tsunami waves due to this earthquake are possible within a radius of 300 kilometers around the epicenter, along the Côtes des Tonga”.
The National Agency for Tonga disasters launched a warning to the inhabitants so that they are held at a distance from the beaches and shores.
“People living on the low -altitude coasts are invited to go to higher grounds or inside the land,” said the National Office for the Risk of Catastrophes of Tonga on Facebook.
Earthquakes are frequent in Tonga, a low altitude archipelago with around 100,000 inhabitants and located stranded on the seismic fire belt.
The belt of fire is an arch of intense tectonic activity which extends through Southeast Asia and the Pacific basin.
