A tsunami warning has been issued for 11 nations in the south-west Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake off Vanuatu. The epicentre was 295km (180 miles) north-northwest of Vanuatu's largest island, Santo, at a depth of 35km (21.7 miles), the US Geological Survey said. There have so far been no immediate reports of injuries of damage. More than 170 people died last week when a tsunami triggered by a quake hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. All three nations were included in a "tsunami watch" - a lower level of alert than a tsunami warning. Earlier on Wednesday, a 6.7-magnitude quake struck off the Philippines, but no tsunami warning was issued. Shortly after the earthquake off Vanuatu struck at 2203 GMT, the Pacific Region Headquarters of the US National Weather Service said a tsunami warning was in effect for Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Kosrae, Wallis and Futuna, and the Howland and Baker islands. It said it was not known if a tsunami had occurred, but an earthquake of that size has the potential to generate a "destructive tsunami". Coastal evacuations It could strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant lands in hours, it added. New Caledonian authorities were evacuating the island's eastern shore and Loyalty Islands, moving people to higher ground, Reuters news agency reported. Residents of coastal areas of Tuvalu were also being told to move, AFP reported. Among the 22 countries and territories included in the tsunami watch were Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

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