6.8 earthquake rattles Tonga
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An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit Tonga in the early hours of Wednesday morning, causing no damages.
The quake, occurred at 01:47 a.m. Wednesday Tonga local time (12:47 GMT Tuesday), was centered 135 km east-northeast of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa at a depth of 61 km, the U.S. Geological Survey' s website reported.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported shortly after the quake struck that there was no threat of a destructive widespread tsunami.
It said waves were possible within 100 km of the earthquake's epicenter.
The quake was felt with a moderate intensity in Tongatapu and Ha 'apai.
The quake woke residents in Nuku'alofa and in Pangai, some of whom ran outside. There were no reports of damage. Dogs barked while houses and shelves rattled for a few seconds, the Matangi Tonga website reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey also recorded two further earthquakes in Tonga of magnitude 5.6 and 5.1.
Tonga was one of three South Pacific nations hit by tsunamis generated by an 8.0 magnitude quake on Sept. 28, which killed 186 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.
