A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit in the South Pacific near Vanuatu and New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands on Friday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake struck at a depth of 36 kilometres at 1239 IST, 60 kilometres northeast of Isangel in Vanuatu and 324 kilometres northeast of Tadine in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, according to USGS. There was no threat of a widespread tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.