Magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes near Tonga, cancels tsunami warning

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A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Tonga late Friday night local time, initially triggering a tsunami warning for the small Pacific island nation.

While the government urged residents to look for higher ground, the warning was later rescinded as a dangerous wave did not materialize.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a 7.3-magnitude earthquake 131 miles (211 kilometers) off the coast of Niavo, Tonga earlier in the night.

“A strong earthquake occurred near Tonga and was felt by the entire population of Tonga,” the Tonga government said in an initial press release, warning of the dangers of the tsunami before it was cancelled.

By 3:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, the government rescinded the tsunami warning for the entire island.

“Based on Tonga tide gauge monitoring, a tsunami wave of less than 5 cm was recorded on the Niafu, Vavao, Nywatoptabo and Nuku’alofa scales at 3 am this morning,” the government said.

“Because the tsunami wave is less than one foot away, it is expected that this tsunami will no longer pose a threat to Tonga.”

It is not clear whether the amount of damage to land on neighboring islands was from the earthquake itself. The US Geological Survey estimated that the nearby islands would have felt only a slight tremor, although tsunami alerts from the US Tsunami Warning System said that “some areas may have experienced a strong jolt”.

A tsunami warning has also been canceled for nearby American Samoa, a US territory. The New Zealand government said there was no danger of a tsunami in that country as a result of the earthquake.

A tsunami can occur when a powerful earthquake strikes under the ocean, displacing the water and sending a large wave of waves in all directions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA adds that potentially dangerous waves could be caused by disturbances such as volcanoes. In January of this year, a large volcanic eruption in Tonga triggered a tsunami, causing flooding as waves crashed into the island nation.

Those waves destroyed hundreds of structures in Tonga and spread around the Pacific Ocean, reaching California, South America and Russia, according to the US Geological Survey. Four people were killed in Tonga and two people were killed in Peru.

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