A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 has struck off the Fijian Islands in the South Pacific but a tsunami warning has not been issued.
The US Geological Survey confirmed the quake occurred at 7.28am on Monday (Australian time) just 42km east northeast of Ndoi Island, 423km southeast of the capital Suva and 563km deep.
There is no word yet of the impact of the quake.
Geoscience Australia said the quake off Fiji is unlikely to pose any threat to the pacific island.
‘Earthquakes of this magnitude are not at all unusual in that part of the world, and it was very, very deep so it’s something unlikely to have an impact on the surface,’ a GA spokesman said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued an alert and is not expected to do so at this stage.
‘Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake,’ the statement said.
‘A destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected. No action is required.’
‘This will be the only statement issued for this event unless additional data are received.’
Associated Newspapers Ltd