According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Kermadec islands at 0.54 Italian time, an archipelago belonging to New Zealand located between the main island and the archipelago of Tonga.
A first quake, of 6.1 magnitude, had been detected a few hours before on the island of Tonga, at 97 kilometers northeast of Ohonua with epicenter at 10 kilometers deep but without causing victims.
New Zealand civil protection has not ruled out a tsunami warning, which should not, however, reach such dimensions as to threaten the population.