Melbourne, Australia — A strong earthquake struck the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, but there were no tsunami warnings or immediate reports of damage.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 when it struck at 9:23 a.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Its epicenter was 83 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Vila, at a depth of 29 kilometers (18 miles).
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no risk of the earthquake triggering a tsunami.
Vanessa Apuary, a worker at the Port Vila hotel, said the impact of the earthquake “wasn’t that big” considering its magnitude, which she understood to be 6.4.
“It was heavy and slow, but it didn’t cause any damage in Port Vila,” Apuary told The Associated Press.
Vanuatu is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world’s volcanic and seismic activity occurs.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake a year ago caused a small tsunami to reach the coast of Vanuatu, but no damage was reported.
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