Series of quakes strike off South Pacific islands: USGS

SYDNEY (AFP) - A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the South Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna in the early hours of Monday, following another powerful earthquake off Tonga.

The latest quake hit at 5:15 am local time (1:15 am Singapore time Monday) and occurred 205 kilometres southeast of the Wallis and Futuna capital of Mata-Utu, the US Geological Survey said.

It came less than two hours after a 6.4-magnitude quake struck off Tonga.

Neither generated tsunami alerts and there were no immediate reports of damage. The undersea quake off Tonga hit at 3:52 am (11:52 pm Singapore time Sunday) and was 197 kilometres northwest of the town of Hihifo, USGS said.

The epicentre was also at a depth of 10 kilometres.

That tremor was followed less than three hours later by a 5.6-magnitude quake a few kilometres further west.

The region lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of frequent seismic activity due to collisions between continental plates.

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