A powerful earthquake near Tonga triggered conflicting guidance from international and local authorities over the potential for a tsunami, leaving residents uncertain about the true level of risk.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center moved quickly to reassure the region, pointing to the earthquake's depth as the reason no coastal threat existed. "There is no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth," the PTWC said. Data from the US Geological Survey put the quake at a depth of nearly 238 kilometres. The epicentre was approximately 150 kilometres west of the island of Neiafu, placing it several hundred kilometres north of the capital Nuku'alofa.
Tonga's National Emergency Operation Centre took a more cautious position, issuing an urgent tsunami alert for the country despite the international assessment. In the capital, sirens sounded and residents were directed to move away from the coast, according to RNZ Pacific's correspondent in Tonga.
New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency carried out its own evaluation and concluded there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand.
