Fiji rocked by powerful 7.2 quake, tsunami warnings briefly raised

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck off the island nation of Fiji on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake, which struck at 10:52 a.m. (2152 GMT on Tuesday), was located 175 miles (282 kms) southwest of Fiji’s capital, Suva, at a shallow depth of 9.4 miles (15 kms), the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a local tsunami warning, but it was swiftly cancelled.

“We felt it ever so slightly in Suva,” Sune Gudnizt, head of the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told Reuters by telephone.

(REUTERS)