Fiji, NSW earthquake: Australia faces no threat

Tsunami warnings have been cancelled in Fiji, shortly after an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck off the South Pacific island nation at 10:52AM (7:52AM AEST). There is no threat of tsunami in Australia as well.

The earthquake was centred 282km southwest of Fiji's capital, Suva at a shallow depth of 15km, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake was originally recorded of 7.2 magnitude. However, it was later downgraded to 6.9.

The tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre who said that there was a possibility of tsunami waves striking the Fiji coastline around 11:45AM (8:45 AEST). However, the threat was reclined soon after that.

Meanwhile, people are being evacuated from higher ground regions. No widespread damage or casualties have been reported as of now.

NSW earthquake: small quake felt by more than 100 people

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a small earthquake of magnitude 3.9 struck off an NSW town. The quake reportedly hit Appin at 1:15AM. The tremors of the quake were felt at a wide range. People in Wollongong, which is about 35 km away from Appin also felt the tremors, said Geoscience Australia.

More than 100 people reported about the NSW earthquake to Geoscience. No damage has been reported so far. However, the Appin earthquake was strong enough to shake people off while they were in bed.

Appin has a history of earthquake. From the past few decades, the town has been observing at least one quake in every one to two years.

No threat of tsunami in Australia

The powerful Fiji earthquake doesn’t pose any threat of tsunami in Australia. “We often get some very deep earthquakes there which don't pose too much of a problem, but in this case there is potential for a small local tsunami in that area,” Geoscience Australia's Jonathan Bathgate told ABC Radio.