Nuku'alofa, August 10 (QNA) - An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale struck Monday northeast of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean.

The US Geological Survey reported that the quake's epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers and located 88 kilometers northeast of the islands.

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