Waves of up 10 feet headed towards the French territory
According to media reports , an unprecedented tsunami alert along the coastal area of New Zealand, New Caledonia and Vanuatuhave made the thousands of residents leaving their home for higher ground.
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.
“People must leave beach areas and stop all water activities, and should not pick their children up at schools to avoid creating traffic jams,” emergency services spokesman Alexandre Rosignol told public radio.
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.
“Do not stay at home,” the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.
