Tsunami alert: Massive 7.7 quake jolts Pacific
Powerful quake sparks tsunami threat for a huge part of the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has raised a tsunami alert following a powerful 7.7 earthquake that struck the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea in the south-west of the Pacific.
“An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 occurred in the New Britain region, Papua New Guinea at 12:58 UTC," the centre stated in an alert.
“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 km of the earthquake epicentre.”
They later added: “A tsunami threat exists for parts of the Pacific located closer to the earthquake.
“It is still too early to determine whether there is a possible tsunami threat to Hawaii.”
Please refresh for updates.