Magnitude 6.4 quake strikes near Tonga

Sydney: A magnitude 6.4 earthquake rattled Tonga on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, striking off the country's eastern coast.

The USGS said the quake hit at a depth of 243 kilometres (150 miles) around 137 kilometres from the closest town of Neiafu.

It struck at 17:15 local time (0415 GMT). 

Earthquakes are common in Tonga, a low-lying archipelago home to around 100,000 people that straddles the seismic Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.