A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred on Friday in the Pacific Ocean, southeast of New Caledonia, triggering a tsunami warning, the US Geological Survey (USGS) announced, according to AFP.

Beach in New CaledoniaPhoto: Delphine Mayeur / AFP / Profimedia Images

Police and firefighters evacuated the entire coast of New Caledonia due to a tsunami warning. Tsunami sirens sounded and residents were asked to stay away from the coast, Col. Marchi Leccia, director of New Caledonia’s civil security service, said on the radio.

According to the same source, the earthquake was recorded at a depth of 37 km and 333.8 km from the coast of New Caledonia.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said a tsunami wave was “possible” within 1,000 km of the epicenter.

“Based on the preliminary parameters of the earthquake, dangerous tsunami waves are possible on the coasts located within a radius of 1,000 km from the epicenter of the earthquake,” PTWC said in a statement.