An urgent tsunami warning has been issued for the Pacific Island of Tonga after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck nearby.

The US Geological Survey said the tremor hit around 62 miles northeast of the main island at around 1.18am local time on Monday, which was 1.18pm this afternoon in British Summer Time. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an alert saying hazardous large waves could occur at coasts located within 185 miles of the epicentre. No reports of damage were immediately available.

Tonga, an independent country within the Polynesian island`archipelago, is located around 2,000 miles off Australia’s east coast. It is made up of 171 islands with a population of a little more than 100,000 people, with most living on the main island of Tongatapu. The nation regularly experiences tremors as it lies along the active Tonga Trench, one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

The Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne said there was no tsunami threat to Australia. They wrote on X (Twitter): “No tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 7.0 earthquake near Tonga islands.”

Meanwhile, desperate rescue efforts continued in Myanmar today after a huge earthquake struck the nation in South East Asia. Some families have been forced to use their hands to clear rubble in the hope of finding loved ones still alive, two days after the quake killed more than 1,600 people and left countless others buried. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit midday Friday with an epicentre near Mandalay, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure like the city’s airport.

Aftershocks continued to be felt on Sunday morning. In Thailand, 17 people are confirmed to have died and dozens more remain missing after a skyscraper under construction collapsed in the earthquake. Diggers have been brought on site to try and reach any survivors still trapped in the rubble, as families of the missing construction workers surround the site. An investigation is also underway into materials used in the construction of the building, after a government minister said ‘anomalies’ had been detected in initial tests of the steel.