No tsunami following strong Fiji earthquake – PHIVOLCS

There is no threat of a tsunami in the country following the strong earthquake at the Fiji islands, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported.

In an advisory posted early Friday morning, the agency said "No destructive tsunami threat exists based on available data. This is for information purposes only and there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake."

PHIVOLCS also said that there is no action required at this time.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean on Friday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake's epicenter was located about 280 km (174 miles) southwest of Tonga, at a depth of 167.4 km (104 miles), according to USGS.

The US Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami threat for the US West Coast, British Columbia, or Alaska following the quake.

Australia's Bureau Of Meteorology also said there was no tsunami threat to Australia.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially reported a magnitude of 7 for the earthquake near the southern region of the Fiji Islands.  -- BAP, GMA Integrated News with Reuters report