A tsunami warning has been issued after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Vanuatu in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Hazardous waves were possible for coasts within 185 miles of the earthquake’s epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The quake was recorded at a depth of 56 miles and about 12 miles north-west of the island, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The USGS had initially put the magnitude at 7.1 and the depth at 51.7 miles.
Vanuatu became known to Brits when it emerged a tribe on the island worshipped Prince Philip as a god following his visit with the Queen in 1974.
Their veneration of Philip, who died in April aged 99, stems from a legend about the pale-skinned son of a local mountain god.
It is believed he ventured across the seas to look for a rich and powerful woman to marry, with whom he would one day return.
The royal connection with the tribe continued when Prince Charles paid a visit to Vanuatu in 2018, following in his father’s footsteps.
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