NOUMEA: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck east of the Loyalty Islands near New Caledonia in the South Pacific on Friday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake hit at a depth of 26km (16 miles) about 189km (117 miles) east-southeast of Tadine in the Loyalty Islands, the USGS said.
There were no immediate warnings from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
It follows a powerful 7.6 quake that hit near New Caledonia on Wednesday.