Magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes southeast of Pacific nation of Tonga

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of the village of Pangai in the Pacific island nation of Tonga, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Saturday.

The disaster took place at 3.18 a.m. local time (1218GMT), according to the USGS.

The quake, initially reported as 7.3, was later revised to 7.1 and occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi), making it a shallow earthquake capable of producing strong surface shaking.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning following the tremor.

The region lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plate boundaries frequently generate powerful earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Authorities in Tonga have not released an official statement yet, but local monitoring agencies are continuing to assess the impact of the quake.