Tonga has been hit by an earthquake registering 6.4 on the Richter scale. No tsunami warnings have been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The strong quake struck at a depth of just under 30 miles according to earthquake tracker EMSC. However the US Geological Society said it struck at around six miles deep. It hit 55 miles south of Pangai, which has a population of 1,800 people.
The quake struck 77 miles from Nuku‘alofa, which is home to 22,400 people. The US Geological Society (USGS) said Tonga was vulnerable to damage from an earthquake. Their website warned: “Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. “The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and unknown/miscellaneous types construction.” READ MORE
