Tsunami threat passes after powerful earthquake in Pacific
A powerful earthquake was reported in the Pacific Ocean early Monday morning local time, with officials issuing tsunami alerts for areas closest to the epicenter.
According to the U.s. Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.1 earthquake was reported about 56 miles southeast of Pangai, Tonga, around 1:18 a.m. local time on Monday (8:18 a.m. ET on Sunday).
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The earthquake was reported at a depth of about 6 miles.
According to reports on the USGS website, shaking was reported in places like Pangai and Nukualofa in Tonga.
According to the National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Honolulu, tsunami waves were observed and people on beaches along the coast have been urged to seek higher ground.
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Forecasters said tsunami waves of 1-3 feet were also possible for some coasts of Niue and Tonga. In addition, tsunami waves of less than a foot were possible for the coasts of American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kermadec Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna.
There was no threat of tsunami waves reaching the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii or Alaska.
About an hour after the first tsunami alerts were issued, the PTWC said the threat of a tsunami had passed. However, officials urged people near coastal areas to remain vigilant as minor sea-level fluctuations could occur in some areas over the next few hours.
No other information was immediately available.
Refresh this page and download the free FOX Weather app for updates to this story.Original article source: Tsunami threat passes after powerful earthquake in Pacific
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