Magnitude 7.5 quake hits Vanuatu in Pacific

Washington: A powerful magnitude 7.5 quake struck off the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the US Geological Survey reported.

It said the quake, which struck at 3.55am on Sunday (8.55pm on Saturday), was centered 60 km southwest of the town of Port-Vila and was quite shallow, at a depth of 40.5 km.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the major quake had not triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami but said: "Earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometres of the earthquake epicentre."