Wellington, December 17: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Tuesday just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, the USGS said. The quake occurred at a depth of 57 kilometers and was centred near Port Vila, the largest city in the island nation. Earthquake in Andaman Sea: Quake of Magnitude 4.7 on Richter Scale Hits Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It was not immediately clear whether it caused any damage. The jolt was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock at the same location. Vanuatu government websites were offline in the aftermath of the quake. The USGS warned of tsunami waves for some coasts on Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands that is home to about 330,000 people.

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