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Pacific tsunami warning declared for magnitude 7.3 earthquake east of Tonga

U.S. authorities declared a tsunami warning Friday for multiple Pacific Ocean territories for a 7.3 magnitude earthquake 211 kilometers northeast of Tonga, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.


Seism of 7.3 in Northeast Tonga - USGS© Provided by News 360

The earthquake was recorded at 11:48 a.m. (Spanish peninsular time) with a hypocenter about 25 kilometers deep, according to the report of the Earthquake Emergency Program of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), for its acronym in English.

Shortly afterwards, the US Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that the earthquake has unleashed high waves that pose a threat to American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna.

The center has warned that all of these territories could experience rising coastal waters over the next few hours and is advising people to stay away from the coast and harbors.

No fatalities or injuries have been reported so far.