Little Damage From Huge Pacific Quake; Tsunami Threat Passes

Traffic slowly works up to high ground as a tsunami warning is issued at Whangarei, New Zealand, on Fri. March 5, 2021. Mike Dinsdale/New Zealand Herald via AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings across the ocean and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas Friday. Small tsunami waves were seen, but little damage was apparent hours later.

The magnitude 8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region about 620 miles from New Zealand’s two main islands was the largest in a series of temblors over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3.