Huge earthquakes off Vanuatu puts Pacific on Tsunami Alert

Two huge earthquakes in the ocean north of Vanuatu have put Pacific nations on tsunami alert.

The twin earthquakes, measuring 7.8 and 7.3 respectively, occurred 15 minutes apart just after 9am local time Thursday to the north and north west of Vanuatu.

A tsunami alert has been issued for Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Nauru, PNG, Tuvalu, Fiji, New Caledonia. A tsunami watch has been issued in Australia for coastal areas between Gladstone and Rockhapmton in Queensland. The US Pacific Tsunami warning center has issued a tsunami advisory for Hawaii, with waves (if any) expected to reach the islands at 6:50pm.

At this time there is no reports of injuries or damage in Vanuatu. More when we have it.

Update: Minor tsunami in Vanuatu of 0.4m reported, too small to cause any damage. Tsunami alerts have been withdrawn for most places, although at the time of writing one was still in place for New Zealand.