An earthquake measuring 7.3 degrees Richter in the archipelago of Vanuatu

An earthquake measuring 7.3 degrees Richter in the archipelago of Vanuatu, several more earthquakes in New Zealand and a warning about possible tidal waves, today marked the sixth anniversary of the tsunami that left 230 000 dead in 12 countries in Asia-Pacific. At a time when thousands of people in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand preparing tributes to the victims of the tsunami, the archipelago of Vanuatu, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, was shaken by an earthquake, triggering a tsunami alert. The American Institute of Geophysics (USGS) reported that the earthquake occurred at 00:16 hours and led to strong aftershocks, setting off the tsunami warning was lifted shortly afterwards after confirming that there was no irrigation.

The earthquake, which caused no damage or casualties occurred after a series of earthquakes rocked in the last 24 hours New Zealand, which reported severe damage to several buildings and power outages, mostly in the city of Christchurch. The tremors were recorded as thousands of people remembered on Sunday with a minute of silence, religious ceremonies and throwing flowers into the sea to the victims of the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004. With tears and sadness in their faces thousands of people gathered in the coastal areas to throw flower petals into the sea and write messages to honor their deceased relatives and friends, while some others came to religious ceremonies.



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