Magnitude 6.4 quake hits Vanuatu in Pacific: USGS

(REUTERS) - A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck Vanuatu's Erromango island in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday (Sept 21), the US Geological Survey said.

It said the quake struck the centre of the island, Vanuatu's fourth largest, at 7.09am (4am Singapore time) and was fairly deep at 200km, which would have dampened its effect.

Erromango has a population of just under 2,000 people.

The Vanuatu archipelago, east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean, is in the so-called Ring of Fire and is prone to earthquakes.

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