7.1 magnitude earthquake off Tonga triggers tsunami alert

Published at: 30/03/2025 06:22 PM

An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 occurred off the coast of Tonga, an island country in the Pacific, announced this Sunday, March 30, the United States Geological Survey, leading to the launch of a tsunami warning.

The earthquake occurred in the shallow sea in an area 90 kilometers southeast of the village of Pangai. The notice was also extended to the island of Niue, reported the DW portal.

For its part, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, located in Hawaii, indicated that it was possible that “tsunami waves reaching between 0.3 and one meter above the tide level” could form on some coasts of Niue and Tonga, but later said that there was no longer a threat.

The national disaster agency of Tonga, an archipelago where about 100,000 people live and where earthquakes are common, asked residents to stay away from beaches and shores.

Tonga is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense tectonic activity that extends across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim.