M6.9 Earthquake Strikes off Vanuatu, Tsunami Warning Lifted

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 197 kilometers west-northwest of Port-Olry, in Vanuatu's Sanma Province, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS put the time at 02:31 UTC on Oct. 24, 2026.

A second large earthquake, magnitude 6.3, struck four minutes later in the same area, USGS said. The two quakes prompted a tsunami warning, ABC News reported, citing the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coastlines within 300 kilometers of the epicenter. "Persons located in threatened coastal areas should stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities," the warning center said.

As of Oct. 24, 2026, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's website stated there was "No Tsunami Warning, Advisory, Watch, or Threat in effect."

USGS puts about 120 people in the zone of moderate shaking, intensity MMI V, and about 53,200 in the zone of light shaking, intensity MMI IV, around the epicenter. The agency's impact estimate states, "There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage."

USGS individually catalogued nine more earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater within about 220 kilometers of Port-Olry in the hours that followed the mainshock.