A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck off the Kingdom of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on late Wednesday.
According to seismologists, the quake occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres and was registered 37 kilometres northeast of the village of Pangai on the western coast of the island of Lifuka.
There has been no further information so far concerning possible casualties or damage resulting from the quake, while earthquakes starting with 6.0 magnitude can cause moderate to strong damage, especially to poor structures.
No tsunami alert has been declared.
The Kingdom of Tonga is located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes.