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Manila Bulletin devider World devider Preliminary magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, USGS says

Preliminary magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, USGS says

Published Mar 24, 2026 01:37 pm

NEIAFU, Tonga (AP) — A strong preliminary magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck early Tuesday evening local time at a depth of about 237 km (148 miles). Earthquakes at shallower depths are felt more strongly at the surface.

The jolt was centered at sea, 153 km (95 miles) west of Neiafu, the second largest town in the island nation.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Tonga’s National Disaster Risk Management Office warned all in the low-lying island nation to move immediately to higher ground or inland.

People should avoid beaches, shorelines, and low-lying coastal areas until an all-clear was given, said a post on the office’s Facebook page.

The USGS did not immediately list a tsunami warning for the region.

Tonga is an archipelago in Polynesia made up of 171 islands with just over 100,000 people, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatapu. Tuesday’s quake was centered nearer to the Vava’u island group.

The island nation is about 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of New Zealand and situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults where much of the world’s earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.

A tsunami set off by a volcanic eruption in 2022 killed three people.

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