BREAKING NEWS UPDATE · TSUNAMI THREAT ENDED

PORT VILA, Vanuatu / HONOLULU — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has ended the tsunami threat from a shallow earthquake west of Vanuatu and revised the event's preliminary magnitude from 7.2 to 6.9.

The center's final message, issued at 3:28 a.m. UTC Saturday, October 24 — 11:28 p.m. Eastern time Friday — said the threat had passed based on all available data. It said minor sea-level fluctuations could still occur in some nearby coastal areas for several hours and advised normal caution near the sea.

Correction and update: DINA's initial alert reflected the center's first bulletin, which reported a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 and said hazardous waves were possible within 300 kilometers of the epicenter. The final bulletin revised the magnitude to 6.9 and said there was no longer a tsunami threat. This article, headline and metadata have been corrected to reflect the final official determination.

The earthquake occurred at 2:31 a.m. UTC Saturday — 10:31 p.m. Eastern time Friday — at 13.8 degrees south, 165.7 degrees east and a reported depth of 10 kilometers. The initial U.S. Geological Survey estimate carried by Reuters placed it roughly 200 kilometers west of Sola.

No casualties, structural damage, coastal inundation or observed tsunami-wave height had been confirmed by DINA at this update. The end of the tsunami threat does not itself establish that the earthquake caused no local shaking damage, and DINA will continue to distinguish verified assessments from unsourced claims or unauthenticated social-media material.

How the assessment changed

The Pacific center's first message, issued seven minutes after the earthquake, used the preliminary magnitude-7.2 estimate and forecast that hazardous waves were possible along Vanuatu coasts within 300 kilometers. It listed an estimated first arrival time of 3:01 a.m. UTC for Espiritu Santo. An estimated arrival time was not confirmation that a wave had been generated or observed.

Fifty-seven minutes after the earthquake, the center issued its second and final message. That bulletin revised the magnitude to 6.9 and said the threat had passed. It called for no further action beyond normal caution near the sea unless national or local authorities issued more refined instructions.

A separate U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center message had already found no tsunami danger for Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon or California.

Confirmed, corrected and still unverified

  • Confirmed official update: the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's final message revised the preliminary magnitude to 6.9 and ended the tsunami threat.
  • Confirmed event parameters: the bulletin placed the earthquake at 13.8 degrees south, 165.7 degrees east, 10 kilometers deep, at 2:31 a.m. UTC.
  • Residual condition: minor sea-level fluctuations remained possible near the earthquake for several hours, with normal coastal caution advised.
  • Not confirmed by DINA at this update: casualties, structural damage, coastal inundation, an observed tsunami height or the scale of any evacuation.

Why the correction matters

Earthquake and tsunami bulletins are designed to move quickly, using preliminary seismic measurements that can change when analysts receive additional data. The initial warning appropriately emphasized life safety; the final bulletin narrowed the magnitude and removed the forecast threat after more information became available.

For residents and emergency managers, an all-clear must travel through the same local systems used for the initial alert. Vanuatu's dispersed islands make power, telecommunications, language access and the reach of local radio or community networks central to effective risk communication.

DINA analysis: emergency transparency includes the all-clear

DINA analysis: Public trust depends on news organizations and authorities correcting fast-moving information as visibly as they reported the initial danger. The revised magnitude does not mean the first bulletin was fabricated; it shows why preliminary numbers and threat forecasts must be labeled and why final official messages must receive prominent placement.

Vanuatu authorities should still disclose when national and provincial agencies received both bulletins, how they distributed the initial alert and final all-clear, what water-level observations were available, and whether any communities temporarily lost communications.

Public-safety guidance

People in Vanuatu should continue to follow the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department, the National Disaster Management Office and local authorities. The Pacific center recommends normal caution near the sea because minor fluctuations may occur. DINA reporting is not a substitute for an official emergency alert or local instruction.

Urgent follow-up and public-record questions

  • What did tide gauges and deep-ocean instruments record, and when will those readings be released?
  • How quickly did the initial alert and the final all-clear reach each coastal community?
  • Were evacuations ordered or recommended, and when were residents told they could safely return?
  • What is the verified condition of hospitals, ports, airfields, roads, schools, power systems and telecommunications?
  • Have authorities received verified reports of injury, coastal flooding or structural damage from shaking?

Primary sources and verification

This report will be updated if responsible authorities publish a verified damage assessment or materially revise the earthquake parameters.