Strong earthquake hits near Australia, Tsunami confirmed

An earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale struck near the Loyalty Island, triggering a Tsunami, the Australian weather agency said on Thursday. 

“TSUNAMI CONFIRMED,” the Australian Bureau of Meteorology wrote on Twitter, issuing a warning of a threat to Lord Howe Island, which is about 550 kilometers east of Australia’s mainland. 

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck in the South Pacific, sparking a Tsunami warning for New Zealand, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and other nations in the region. 

According to the USGS, the quake hit just after midnight on Thursday (1320 GMT Wednesday) about 415 kilometers (258 miles) east of Vao in New Caledonia at a depth of 10 kilometers. 

The NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center predicted “hazardous” tsunami waves from the earthquake in the next three hours. 

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