Major 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes near New Caledonia, triggering tsunami warning

A major 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Friday in the Pacific Ocean southeast of New Caledonia, triggering a tsunami warning, the US Geological Service said.

The quake was detected at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 miles), it said.

“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts within 1,000 km (620 miles) of the earthquake epicenter,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

It urged people in threatened coastal areas to be alert.

A hotel receptionist in the New Caledonia capital Noumea told AFP she felt no shaking from the tremor.