People of Lakeba in the southern Lau Group were grateful there was no damage and no one suffered injuries when an earthquake struck deep below the surface yesterday.

The 8.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in Lau waters between Fiji and Tonga.

Nadraki Weather posted on its Facebook page that the depth of the earthquake was 570km. It stated: “Although the depth of the earthquake is more than over 500km below the bottom of the ocean, small tsunami waves have been observed.”

Ledua Lote, 40, of Tubou Village on Lakeba said it was the second strongest earthquake she felt this year.

“It was after 12pm when I felt the earthquake. I was sitting on the sofa when it happened,” Ms Lote said.

“I felt dizzy and my daughter came towards me and told me that she also felt it. It is the second time this year that I have felt the earthquake, but this one was stronger and longer than the first one. My house even shook and it lasted almost a minute.”

Ratu Amenatave Tuimanono of Levuka Village, Lakeba, said he was scared when he felt the earthquake.

“I was at home when it happened. After lunch I decided to sleep and that was when it happened,” Mr Tuimanono said

“I woke up all of a sudden and looked around and that was when I realised that it was an earthquake. I ran out of the room. It was the longest earthquake I have felt this year.”

Meanwhile, Chetna Chauhan of James Madhavan Street in Labasa said she was shocked to feel the earthquake at about 12pm.

“I was sitting on the sofa having my lunch alone in the house when I felt that I was shaking. Then I saw my rocking chair in the living room moving back and forth and then I realised it was an earthquake. It lasted for a long time,” Mrs Chauhan said.

Meanwhile, reports said a second smaller earthquake in the afternoon was also felt in parts of Fiji. Edited by Epineri Vula

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