American Samoa has been placed under a tsunami warning and Hawaii on a tsunami watch after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake was registered in the Kermadec Islands, north of New Zealand.
The northeastern coast of New Zealand was also placed on a tsunami warning, with the country’s civil defense ordering residents to “move immediately to nearest high ground… or as far inland as possible.”
Kermadec Islands, located in the South Pacific approximately 500 miles (800 km) northeast of New Zealand, have been shaken by a series of tremors on Friday morning local time, ranging from 5.0 to 8.0 in magnitude.
Also known as Rangitāhua, the islands belong to New Zealand and are 1,200 miles (1,945 km) southwest of Samoa, and over 3,700 miles (6,800 km) from Hawaii.
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