Strong earthquakes shake New Caledonia in South Pacific

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Multiple, strong earthquakes hit the South Pacific island nation of New Caledonia one after the other on Thursday, according to the US Geological Survey.

The latest magnitude 7 earthquake hit at around 4.44 p.m. local time (0544GMT).

Earlier in the day, another quake of 6.9 magnitude had hit the island at around 7.56 a.m. (2056GMT).

The epicenters of both earthquakes occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.3 miles).

There were yet no reports of damage due to the quakes.