Strong quake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands, no damage

Strong quake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands, no damage

2011-01-05 14:34:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

ILE HUNTER, LOYALTY ISLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on late Wednesday afternoon, seismologists said, but no damage or casualties were expected.

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake at 5.46 p.m. local time (0646 GMT) was centered about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west-northwest of the tiny uninhabited island of Ile Hunter, which is part of the Loyalty Islands which in turn are part of New Caledonia, a French territory. It struck about 135.9 kilometers (84.4 miles) deep, making it an earthquake of intermediate depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

No damage or casualties were expected as the earthquake struck far away from populated areas and it was not strong enough to generate a tsunami.

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