Warning of tsunami raised for the Tonga after an earthquake of magnitude 7,1

Tokyo (AP) – A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck Tonga, causing a first warning of Tsunami which was then lifted for the country of the Pacific Island.

The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake had struck about 100 kilometers (62 miles) in the northeast of the main island in the early morning on Monday.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii published an alert saying that dangerous waves could be possible, but later said that there was no more threat of tsunami.

Tsunami sirens could be heard after the 1:18 earthquake exhorting residents to move inside the land, according to the Talanoa O Tonga News website. There was no initial damage report.

Residents of the Ha’apai Island group had calmly moved on higher grounds, according to the report.

Tonga are a country in Polynesia made up of 171 islands with a population of just over 100,000 people, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatapu.

It is more than 3,500 kilometers (2,000 miles) off the east coast of Australia.