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Major earthquakes strike near Fiji and in Indonesia's Lombok island

Major earthquakes strike near Fiji and in Indonesia's Lombok island
Posted at 12:36 PM, Aug 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-19 12:36:05-04

Earthquakes struck near two popular vacation destinations Sunday, one rattling the South Pacific islands of Fiji and Tonga, and another striking Indonesia's Lombok.

The quake roughly 200 miles off both Fiji and Tonga measured a massive 8.2-magnitude but was hundreds of miles deep.

The Lombok quake was 6.3-magnitude and struck at a depth of 7.9 km( 3.7 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey.

The Lombok quake was centered 6 km northeast of Sembalunlawaang, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It would have been felt to a moderate level throughout the island and lightly in the neighboring tourist island of Bali, the USGS said.

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) put the quake at a 6.5-magnitude.

Lombok has suffered a series of earthquakes since late July, with more than 430 people killed in a magnitude-6.9 quake that struck August 5.

The Pacific Ocean earthquake struck just after midday Sunday local time and was almost 560 kilometers (348 miles) deep, the USGS said.

It was followed by a 6.3-magnitude quake at a similar depth nearby.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said based on the data available, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected, and there was no threat to Hawaii.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.