The Pacific Island of Tonga is facing an urgent tsunami warning after the significant tremor struck nearby. The US Geological Survey indicated that the earthquake took place at around 1:18 AM local time on Monday, which corresponds to 1:18 PM British Summer Time. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has cautioned that dangerous large waves may impact coastlines within 185 miles of the earthquake’s epicenter. Currently, there are no immediate reports of damage.
Tonga, an independent nation within the Polynesian archipelago, is situated about 2,000 miles from the east coast of Australia. It comprises 171 islands and has a population exceeding 100,000, with the majority residing on the main island of Tongatapu. The country frequently experiences seismic activity due to its location along the Tonga Trench, one of the most seismically active regions globally.
The Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne has stated that there is no tsunami threat to Australia. They communicated via X (Twitter): “No tsunami threat to Australia from the magnitude 7.0 earthquake near Tonga islands.”
In a related development, urgent rescue operations are ongoing in Myanmar following a devastating earthquake that struck the Southeast Asian nation. Families are resorting to using their hands to sift through debris in hopes of locating survivors, two days after the quake resulted in over 1,600 fatalities and left many others trapped. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred around midday on Friday, with its epicenter near Mandalay, causing extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure, including the city’s airport.
Aftershocks were still being felt on Sunday morning. In Thailand, 17 fatalities have been confirmed, with many more individuals reported missing after a construction skyscraper collapsed during the earthquake. Heavy machinery has been deployed to the site in an effort to rescue any remaining survivors.
