Wellington - The eight scientists and staff based at the remote Kermadec Islands in the Pacific Ocean are unharmed after a powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck on Thursday morning.
Agencies in the South Pacific also cancelled earlier tsunami warnings, saying the danger has now passed.
Department of Conservation spokesperson Nick Hirst said that the four scientists and four volunteers on Raoul Island were shaken but unharmed, and their facilities undamaged. Hirst said a big part of the agency's job on the islands are to eradicate weeds and animal pests to preserve native species.
The volcanic Kermadec Island peaks are a remote outpost that are generally uninhabited aside from a weather station and a hostel for visiting New Zealand scientists and staff.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake struck at 7.03am on Thursday, was 48km deep, and measured magnitude-7.6.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, a US agency, at first issued a warning for possible tsunami damage in the Kermadecs, Tonga and New Zealand but later cancelled the warning. It said a tsunami measured at 68cm was measured at Raoul Island.
The Kermadecs are about 920km south of Tonga, the nearest major island, and are 1 185km northeast of Auckland, New Zealand.
New Zealand's Civil Defence office also cancelled an earlier tsunami warning, although cautioned that for the next 24 hours “people should exercise caution and discretion before entering the water or going out in small boats in all parts of New Zealand”. - Sapa-AP