An earthquake with magnitude 6.0 has struck in the Pacific near Samoa, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The government seismologists said the quake was at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) and occurred just after 1800 GMT.
Its epicentre was 165 miles (265 kilometres) northwest of Hihifo, Tonga and 1,630 miles (2,620 kilometres) north northeast of Auckland, New Zealand.
The USGS announcement did not mention whether a tsunami was expected. An earthquake and a following tsunami killed more than 180 people on Samoa, American Samoa and nearby islands on September 29. That earthquake was at 8.3 magnitude.
