Two strong earthquakes hit New Caledonia
Tremors measuring 6.8 and 6.5 recorded half an hour apart in same area
Sydney: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake was recorded east of New Caledonia in the South Pacific on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, about half an hour after an earlier 6.5 quake in the same area.
The second quake was registered 163km east of Tadine in the Loyalty Islands at a depth of about 10km, the USGS said.
There were no tsunami alerts from the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre after either quake and there were no early reports of casualties or damage.