Magnitude 7.2 quake off Vanuatu triggers tsunami warning

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake off Vanuatu triggered a tsunami warning on Saturday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

"Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters... hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 KM of the earthquake epicenter," the Hawaii-based monitor warned after the shallow quake in waters around the island nation of Vanuatu.

The quake's epicentre was around 200 kilometres (124 miles) north-west of Vanuatu's Port-Olry, according to geological monitor USGS which later revised the magnitude of the tremor down to 6.9. It also reported a second quake of magnitude 6.3 nearby.

Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago that straddles the tectonic Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic activity stretching through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.