Second earthquake as major tremor hits Pacific near Samoa

An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude has struck off Samoa in the Pacific Ocean just hours after a major tremor rattled nearby Papua New Guinea. The epicentre of the second quake was 124km west-southwest of the capital Apia, at a depth of 120km. Earlier, vast swathes of the Pacific were put on high alert for “hazardous” tsunami waves after a powerful earthquake in Papua New Guinea. The United States Geological Service measured it as magnitude 7.5. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned that waves measuring up to 3m could hit Papua New Guinea and even reach parts of Russia.

The situation seems to be under control at this stage.

Martin Mose, acting director for Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center

It said areas located within 1,000km of the epicentre of the quake were most at risk. Coasts as far away as China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Antarctica may also be affected, it said. However, the Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake posed no tsunami risk to Japan. The warning centre also said that the second quake posed no threat to Hawaii and a “destructive Pacific-wide tsunami” was not expected.

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