Thursday, May 4 2006 10:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Nuku'alofa (Tonga): A massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake has rocked the South Pacific island nation of Tonga triggering tsunami warnings that raised jitters as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand, but no massive waves materialised and no major quake damage was reported.

Residents and police officers in Tonga said yesterday (May 4, 2006) that they were unaware that any warnings were given for a potentially destructive tsunami, raising troubling questions about protections in place for inhabitants of the sparsely populated islands scattered thousands of kilometers across the earthquake-prone region.

A warning issued by the Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre almost immediately after the 2056 IST earthquake said that Fiji, New Zealand, Tonga, Niue, American Samoa, Samoa and Wallis-Futuna could be threatened. It was ifted within two hours, after a wave of less than 60 centimeters was recorded.

Police in Fiji and Tonga said there were no signs of impact from a tsunami. New Zealand authorities were briefly n high alert.

The quake was felt in Auckland, New Zealand. Along the country's east coast, hundreds of people fled for high ground, even though no evacuations were ordered, said Richard Steel, civil defence controller in the Gisborne, New Zealand's easternmost city, which has a population of more than 20,000.

In Hawaii, schools near shorelines were closed as a precaution due to the tsunami advisory, according to a statement from the Department of Education.

Tonga lost power for two hours. Police in the capital, Nuku'alofa, said there were no immediate reports of damage.