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A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the South Pacific on Friday, prompting tsunami warnings for several Pacific island nations.
Waves as high as three feet could hit Vanuatu, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami warning system reported. Authorities in Vanuatu, an island nation of about 300,000 people, are urging people in coastal areas to move to higher ground.
The earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands in the French territory of New Caledonia at about 2 p.m. local time.
The US agency issued a tsunami warning for coasts within 600 miles of the epicenter, including Vanuatu. Waves of up to one foot could hit the coast of New Caledonia, as well as Fiji, Kiribati, Australia and New Zealand.
The agency initially said waves of up to 10 feet were possible for Vanuatu, and up to three feet for other countries in the region, but later lowered its estimates.
New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency said it is expected that the coastal region of the country will experience “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges on land” and urge people on the northeast coast to move away from the coast, ports and rivers.
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