An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck 284km off the coast of Fiji. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network/USGS
FIJI: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck off the island nation of Fiji on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The quake, which struck at 10:52 a.m. (2152 GMT on Tuesday), was located 282 km southwest Fiji's capital, Suva, at a shallow depth of 15 km, the USGS said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a local tsunami warning and said that hazardous tsunami waves were possible and could strike the coastline of Fiji by 11:45 a.m. (2245 GMT on Tuesday).
"We felt it ever so slightly in Suva," Sune Gudnizt, head of the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told Reuters by telephone. - Reuters/AFP
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