Thaindian News

AMERICAN SAMOA (BNO NEWS) – A massive earthquake struck the South Pacific on Wednesday morning, according to officials, generating a possible destructive tsunami. Tsunami warnings are in effect, but there was no immediate word on possible damage or casualties.

The earthquake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 8.3, struck 127 miles south-southwest of Apia, Samoa and about 139 miles southwest of Pago Pago on American Samoa. The tremor, which struck at 6.45 a.m. local time, had a depth of about 30 miles, making it a fairly shallow earthquake. Shallow earthquakes often tend to cause more damage, and increase the risk of a destructive earthquake.

Tsunami warnings were immediately issued for American Samoa, Samoa, Niue, Wallis-Futuna, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Kermadec Islands, Fiji, Howland-Baker, Jarvis Island, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island. Later, tsunami warnings were also issued for Palmyra Island, Vanuatu, Nauru, Marshall Island and the Solomon Islands.

A tsunami watch is also in effect for Johnston Island, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Papua New Guinea, Pohnpei, Wake Island, Pitcairn, Midway Island, Chuuk and Australia.

A spokeswoman for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center told BNO News that a 10 foot (3 meter) tsunami had hit the harbor of Pago Pago on American Samoa, but said she had no information about possible casualties.

“Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter. An investigation is underway to determine if there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii,” a bulletin from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center read.

A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 struck nearly 30 minutes after the initial quake, at 7.15 a.m. local time. A spokesman for the United States Geological Survey warned that more strong aftershocks should be expected.