6.2-Magnitude Quake Strikes Pangai, Tonga

By Staff, Agencies

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck about 219 km west-northwest of Pangai, Tonga, on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey [USGS] said.

According to seismologists, the quake occurred at a depth of 14.5 km.

No damage or injuries have so far been reported.

On 15 January, an undersea volcanic eruption occurred near Tonga, a small country in Oceania, comprised of more than 170 South Pacific islands. The eruption triggered a tsunami alert for the majority of the US West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska. It also caused huge ash clouds rising about 20 kilometers high, and affecting a search and rescue operation in the most remote areas.

At least three people were killed in the tsunami, including a British woman who kept an animal shelter in Tonga and was washed away while trying to save her dogs. Two more people drowned off a beach in northern Peru amid very high waves caused by the eruption in Tonga.