A strong earthquake has struck about 77 miles west of the capital of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.1 quake struck Thursday. The quake struck at a depth of 14 miles.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying “no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists” from the quake but warned that local tsunamis could occur within 62 miles of the epicenter.
The region lies on the “Ring of Fire” an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim. About 90% of the world’s quakes occur in the region.
2012 The Associated Press