Port Vila, April 15 (IANS) The Vanuatu archipelago in the South Pacific has been hit by a string of earthquakes in the past two weeks, including one of magnitude 6.4 on Friday. No casualties or material damage has been reported so far.
The earthquake occurred in the morning at a depth of 10 km and 88 km northwest of the town of Port-Orly, according to the US Geological Survey, which records seismic activities around the world, EFE news reported.
It was followed by another tremor of 5.7 degrees recorded in the same area later in the day.
A magnitude-7.2 tremor, the most powerful of the earthquakes, had hit on April 3, and led to the activation of a tsunami alert for several hours.
Vanuatu is located close to the Pacific "ring of fire" and underwater volcanoes in the Lau basin making it the scene of frequent seismic activity.
The Republic of Vanuatu, with about 250,000 inhabitants, consists of an archipelago of volcanic origin.
In March, a category 5 cyclone left at least 11 dead, displaced a large part of the population and cut off communications for days.
