A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Vanuatu, causing many casualties on August 12.

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Vanuatu, causing many casualties on August 12. A strong earthquake shook the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu late on Thursday, but countries in the region said there was no threat of a tsunami. The US Geological Service said the 7.1 magnitude quake was located 123 km south of the town of Isangel on Tanna island. The agency said the earthquake had an epicenter at a depth of 48 km. The agency said the risk of deaths and major economic losses in the sparsely populated area is low. Vanuatu has a population of about 337,000 people, of whom about 1,200 live in Isangel. The area is part of the “Ring of Fire“, an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.