SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN — A preliminary magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean early Tuesday evening local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake occurred at a depth of about 237 kilometers (148 miles), with its epicenter located at sea, 153 kilometers (95 miles) west of Neiafu, the second-largest town in Tonga.

The earthquake's epicenter was nearer to the Vava'u island group. There were no immediate reports of damage following the earthquake.

Tonga's National Disaster Risk Management Office warned residents in low-lying areas to move immediately to higher ground or inland. The agency advised residents to avoid beaches, shorelines, and low-lying coastal areas until an all-clear was given, according to a Facebook post.

The United States Geological Survey did not issue a tsunami warning for the region. "There was no tsunami threat because the quake was located too deep inside the earth," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said in a bulletin.

A person answering the phone at the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel in Nuku'alofa said she was not aware of any damage following the quake. "The whole building shaked. No further damage. Everything was ok," she said.

Tonga is an archipelago in Polynesia comprising 171 islands with just over 100,000 residents, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatapu. The nation is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults where much of the world's earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.

A tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption in 2022 killed three people. Tonga is about 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of New Zealand.