Sydney: Three powerful earthquakes with a magnitudes ranging between 7.3 and 7.8 occurred in seas off the South Pacific island nations of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands early Thursday, the US Geological Survey reported.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning but later withdrew it.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quakes.
The initial quake measuring M7.8 struck at 0903 local time, with its epicenter located 260 kilometers south of the Santa Cruz Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands, and 295 km north-northwest of the Vanuatu island of Espiritu Santo at 0903 local time.
It was soon followed by the M7.7 quake that occurred 210 km south-southeast of the Santa Cruz Islands and 340 km north-northwest of Espiritu Santo at 0918 local time.
Both quakes had a depth of 35 km.
At 1013 local time, a M7.3 quake struck in the same region, 275 km south of the Santa Cruz Islands and 280 km north-northwest of Espiritu Santo. The third quake had a depth of 33.3 km.
The three quakes were followed by several hours of aftershocks ranging between M5.1 and M6.6.
They follow a series of natural disasters that have recently devastated the region.
On September 29 a magnitude 8.0 quake off the Samoan islands region, triggering a series of tsunami waves that left up to 150 dead and annihilated entire coastal villages.
The following day a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Padang, in Indonesian's West Sumatra Province, leaving up to 1,100 dead and causing major building and infrastructure damage.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions regularly affect the region, which sits on one of the world's most active fault lines, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.
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