New Caledonia is no longer on alert. A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred Friday, May 19 in the Pacific Ocean southeast of the archipelago, triggering a tsunami warning, announced the American Geophysical Institute (USGS). Civil security announced the lifting of the alert after an hour.

The police had evacuated the coast of New Caledonia and anti-tsunami sirens had sounded on the coasts to call on the population to evacuate. A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7, according to the American Geophysical Institute (USGS), occurred southeast of New Caledonia, around 14:00 local (03:00 GMT).

The tremor was detected at a depth of 37 km and 333.8 km from the Caledonian coast, according to the same source.

Alert #tsunami throughout the #NouvelleCalédonie after a magnitude 7.7 #séisme. In #Nouméa, police are currently evacuating all beaches pic.twitter.com/P5DYyNVomi

— Anthony °° Tejero (@TEJEROAnthony) May 19, 2023

A hotel receptionist in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, told AFP she had not felt any shaking.

With AFP

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