7.6 Earthquake Near Tonga: No Tsunami Threat to New Zealand

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near Tonga on Tuesday evening, triggering immediate evacuation orders for residents in low-lying coastal areas. The quake, which occurred at a depth of 237.5 kilometers, was centered 153 kilometers west of Neiafu, in the Vavaʻu island group, at 5:38pm local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Tonga’s National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) urged people to move to higher ground or inland as a precaution, advising them to avoid beaches, shorelines, and low-lying coastal areas. While initial reports indicated no significant damage in Neiafu, officials emphasized the demand for caution.

Despite the strength of the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) stated there was no tsunami threat, citing the quake’s depth. “There is no tsunami threat as the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth,” the PTWC said in a bulletin. However, Tonga’s NDRMO initially issued a tsunami alert for the entire country before lifting it for most areas, maintaining it only for the island group closest to the epicenter.

Lucy Faanunu, a Tonga government official in Vava’u, reported experiencing strong shaking while driving. “When I was driving it was shaking, the steering wheel was shaking left, right, left right,” she said. “And then when I arrived home my son said ‘Mum did you feel the earthquake? Because it was quite long!’” Faanunu confirmed that, as a precaution, people were being directed to higher ground pending an official all-clear.

Novel Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and GNS Science initially assessed whether the earthquake could generate a tsunami affecting New Zealand. NEMA stated that if a tsunami had been generated, it was not expected to arrive in New Zealand for at least two hours. Within an hour of the quake, NEMA announced there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand, based on current information.

RNZ Pacific’s correspondent in Nuku’alofa, Kalafi Moala, described the earthquake as unusually prolonged. “This was a long one. Probably the longest I have experienced here. And now the sirens are going and there’s announcements that people should quickly evacuate to higher ground,” he reported.

Tonga is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic and volcanic activity. A devastating tsunami triggered by the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in 2022 resulted in three fatalities and widespread destruction across the island nation.

A person answering the phone at the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel in Nuku’alofa reported feeling the quake but said there was no apparent damage. “The whole building shaked. No further damage. Everything was ok,” she stated.