Nuku'alofa, March 24 (QNA) - An earthquake measuring 7.6 magnitude struck the Tongan archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean.

The earthquake occurred 153 km west of Neiafu, at a depth of 237.5 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

Tonga is an archipelago of 176 islands scattered in the South Pacific Ocean, of which only 52 are inhabited, located northwest of New Zealand and Australia. (QNA)