Tens of thousands of coastal residents in New Zealand, New Caledonia & Vanuatu fled for higher ground on March 5 as a cluster of powerful earthquakes sparked a Pacific-wide tsunami alert. Warning sirens sounded across Noumea as authorities ordered evacuations amid fears that waves of up three metres (10 feet) were headed towards the French territory. In New Zealand, communities along stretches of the North Island were warned to flee as tsunami alert sirens wailed after an 8.1-magnitude quake, which followed earlier tremors in the same region measuring 7.4 and 7.3. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Vanuatu & New Caledonia were likely to experience the largest waves, measuring up to three metres. No damage or injuries were reported from the earlier quakes, both of which generated tsunami warnings that were later lifted. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand was among those given an early morning wake-up.
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