A 7.0 earthquake causes slight damage in Tonga and brief tsunami evacuations

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga early Monday morning, causing slight damage and brief evacuations before the threat of a tsunami hitting the Pacific island country passed.

Tsunami sirens could be heard after the 1:18 a.m. quake urging residents to move inland in a live video streamed by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission. People in the capital, Nuku’alofa, were seen moving inland or to higher ground before officials gave the all-clear for residents to return home.

Tongans posting on social media reported being able to place calls to most islands in the archipelago. Taekwondo athlete Pita Taufatofua posted to Facebook that items fell from shelves and tables and pictures fell from the walls during the shaking.

“Was hard to stand up,” he wrote. “Never felt an earthquake go for that long.”

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 29 kilometers (18 miles) and was centered about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the main island. Hours later, a second 6.1 magnitude quake hit in the same area.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a notice after the first quake saying hazardous waves were possible but the threat passed with only minor sea changes detected. A warning was also cancelled hours later by the country’s disaster management office.

There were no reported casualties or structural damage, said Mafua Maka, the agency’s director, speaking to Radio New Zealand a few hours after the quake. Further assessment would be made in daylight, local news outlets said.

Tonga is a country in Polynesia made up of 171 islands with just over 100,000 people, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatapu. It is 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of New Zealand and situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic region of earthquakes and volcanoes.

A tsunami set off by a volcanic eruption in 2022 killed three people.