Earthquake of Magnitude 7.6 Strikes Tonga Islands

A tsunami was NOT expected after a deep 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the Tonga islands on Tuesday, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

"There is no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth," PTWC said.

The quake was at a depth of nearly 238 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The earthquake's epicentre was over 150 km from the town of Neiafu in Tonga, the USGS added.

NZ's National Emergency Management Agency said it was assessing the quake to see if it had created any tsunami that could affect here.

Source: Reuters/RNZ