Following the earthquake at 0257 GMT, residents of numerous South Pacific islands hurriedly evacuated coastal regions as sirens alerted them to potential dangerous waves.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, headquartered in Honolulu, announced in a statement that "based on all available data, the tsunami threat resulting from this earthquake has now subsided."

They anticipated minor fluctuations in sea levels within the next few hours.

Initially, the warning center had issued tsunami alerts for coastal areas situated within 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of the earthquake's epicenter, located to the east of the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.

Among the islands, Vanuatu was identified as the most vulnerable to significant waves resulting from the earthquake. (ILKHA)