Tsunami alert after 7.9-magnitude quake off Samoa

[Stacey King]

PressTV Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:03:49 GMT

A major 7.9-magnitude quake near Samoa has prompted authorities to issue a tsunami warning for New Zealand and small Pacific islands.

The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake shook the waters about 120 miles (190 km) southwest of the remote Pacific islands at 1748 GMT on Tuesday.

Experts told CCN network that, according to preliminary data, a three-meter tsunami has been generated around Samoa by the force of the quake.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued the warning to American Samoa, Samoa, Niue Island, the Wallis and Futuna Islands, the Tokelau atolls, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Kermadec Islands and several other small islands.

A tsunami watch is also in effect for Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and other small Pacific islands, AFP news agency reported.

In 2004, a powerful quake in the Indian Ocean resulted in a destructive tsunami that killed tens of thousands people in Asia.

ZHD/MD