Massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake hits French islands

The quake hit near the cluster of islands, located in the South Pacific’s Ring of Fire, at 12.42am GMT.
The centre of the earthquake rocked east of the region’s capital Noumea, which is known for its Parisian-style luxury stores.
New Caledonia is located around 914 miles (1,471 km) from the east coast of Australia and 979 miles (1,575 km) north of New Zealand.
No reports of damage or casualties have emerged so far.

 

The earthquake quake hit near the cluster of islands, located in the South Pacific’s Ring of Fire

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami warning in effect for either of their regions.
New Caledonia is popular with tourists for its beaches and coral reefs.
According to the USGS, the eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most seismically active areas of the world due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates.