Strong earthquake strikes off Tonga’s capital, no tsunami threat
February 13th, 2010 - 12:00 pm ICT by BNO NewsNUKU’ALOFA, TONGA (BNO NEWS) — A strong earthquake struck off the Tonga Islands on Saturday afternoon, seismologists said, but there was no tsunami threat.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which happened at 3.34 p.m. local time, was centered about 87 miles south-east of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa. It struck 21.1 miles deep, making it a relatively shallow earthquake.
No tsunami warnings were issued, and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Tonga region was struck by a 8.1-magnitude earthquake on September 29, 2009, unleashing a deadly tsunami that killed at least 189 people on nearby islands.
Another earthquake struck the Tonga region on March 20, 2009. That quake, which had a magnitude of 7.6, struck some 48 miles from the epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake. There were no casualties in the March 20, 2009 earthquake.
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Tags: casualties, deadly tsunami, earthquake strikes, epicenter, local time, magnitude earthquake, nearby islands, quake, saturday afternoon, seismologists, september 29, shallow earthquake, tonga islands, tsunami, tsunami threat, tsunami warnings