A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Tonga this morning, Monday, 31, sending panicked residents fleeing inland amid fears of a potential tsunami.
The quake which hit at 1.18am Tonga time was centered 90.3 kilometers southeast of Pangai, Ha’apai and 168.8 km east north east of Nuku‘alofa, at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Terrified Tongatapu residents reported hearing emergency sirens blare within minutes, prompting swift evacuations to higher ground.
Many took to social media describing violent shaking that seemed to “go on forever” before tsunami sirens began wailing across the island nation.
MetService has advised residents, especially those in the Ha’apai island group, to move inland as a precaution.
No injuries or significant damage have been reported as of press time.
Former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku took to social media this morning with targeted evacuation advice following the earthquake, urging vulnerable groups to seek specific safe zones rather than rural areas.
The ex-PM’s Facebook post directed Nuku’alofa families to flee to Pili, Fangaloto or Popua.
People were advised to evacuate to the New Zealand High Commission in Popua or Funga Sia mountain.
The absence of early damage reports comes as a tentative reprieve for a nation still traumatized by January 2022’s Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha‘apai eruption, which unleashed a deadly tsunami killing five and displacing thousands.
The National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) and the Tonga Meteorological Services have activated a red alert tsunami warning for all coastal areas of Tonga.
Residents are instructed to move immediately inland.
NDRMO said all coastal communities from Niutōua to Kolovai must seek higher ground immediately.
It advised to avoid Vuna Rd, Hala Taufa‘āhau waterfront and Fanga‘uta Lagoon shores.
