Strong Earthquake Rumbles Near Vanuatu
Pastor Dale Morgan
Strong Earthquake Rumbles Near Vanuatu*
Wednesday October 4, 2006 12:46 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A powerful earthquake rumbled deep below the
earth's surface near the Pacific island of Vanuatu early Wednesday.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 102 miles below the seabed off the
coast of Vanuatu at about 5 a.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey
said in a statement.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii did not issue a tsunami
warning for the quake, which was centered about 100 miles southeast of
Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila.
``There are no reports of injury or damage at this moment; no tsunami,''
Vanuatu's director of Geology and Mines, Chris Ioan, told The Associated
Press by telephone.
Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides Islands, is made up of 13 main
islands located about 1,400 miles east of Australia. The archipelago
nation is part of the Pacific ``ring of fire,'' and earthquakes of this
magnitude are common in the region.