Doha: A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Tonga, prompting a tsunami warning for the Pacific island country. The US Geological Survey issued a tsunami warning stating that dangerous tsunami waves from this earthquake could occur within a 300-kilometer radius of the earthquake’s epicenter, along the coast of Tonga.

According to Qatar News Agency, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific Ocean on March 24, with no human or material damage reported. Located northwest of New Zealand and Australia, Tonga is an archipelago of 176 islands scattered in the South Pacific Ocean, of which only 52 are inhabited.