Tonga quake triggers tsunami

An earthquake off the coast of Tonga has triggered a tsunami in the South Pacific, capable of causing severe damage to the area.The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said on Thursday that sea level readings confirmed that a tsunami was generated. "This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicenter," the centre said. A tsunami warning was in effect for Tonga, Niue, Kermadec Island, American Samoa, Samoa, Wallis-Futuna and Fiji. The centre said the tsunami might be felt as far away as Hawaii but was not expected to cause any damage there. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake was registered 209 km southeast of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The quake occurred at 18:18GMT at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey reported. Tonga, a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti, is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down through Vanuatu to Tonga. An undersea volcano has been erupting for days near Tonga, shooting smoke, steam and ash hundreds of metres into the sky, without posing any danger to islanders. Residents of Tonga said the steam and ash column first appeared on Monday morning, after a series of sharp earthquakes were felt in the capital.A major 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the Tonga islands region, seismologists said Friday, issuing a tsunami warning for Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. The quake, which hit at 6.17 am (1817 GMT), was centred 210 kilometres (130 miles) south-southeast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga and 480 km east-southeast of Ndoi Island, Fiji. It struck at a depth of 10 km, the USGS said. A Tsunami warning was issued for Tonga, Niue, Kermadec Islands, American Samoa, Samoa and Fiji.