6.9 magnitude earthquake rocks Tonga as foreign leaders gather for Pacific leaders’ meeting – Firstpost

The Pacific kingdom of Tonga was rocked by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Monday, the United States Geological Survey said, as foreign leaders gathered for a key regional summit.

Tonga’s resort capital Nuku’alofa is hosting the Pacific Islands Forum, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres among the high-level delegates.

Although the earthquake did not trigger a tsunami warning, some businesses near the coast were briefly evacuated to higher ground.

The quake, which struck at a depth of about 106 kilometers, shook buildings at the new forum site.

But life quickly returned to normal in a city where earthquakes are relatively frequent.

Tonga sits atop the seismic Ring of Fire, an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin.

Large areas of the Tonga archipelago were covered in ash and hit by a tsunami after the massive 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption.