Strong 7.4-earthquake hits islands off New Zealand
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck an arc of islands off New Zealand.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it may cause only minor sea level changes in some coastal areas.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake, which happened on Sunday, hit a spot about 873 kilometres northeast of Ngunguru, a town of about 1400 people.
It occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres.
The area the quake struck is called the Kermadec Islands, about 800 kilometres northeast of New Zealand's North Island.
New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management cleared New Zealand of a tsunami threat moments after issuing a beach warning.
The Kermadec Islands, a volcanic archipelago, are prone to earthquakes.
The islands are a dependency of New Zealand and lie at the western edge of the Kermadec Trench.
There are no permanent settlements on the islands.
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