Tsunami waves have been seen after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck off the coast of New Caledonia this afternoon.
The US National Tsunami Centre said the quake struck at a shallow depth of around 10 kilometres just after 3:00pm (local time) about 168 kilometres east of Tadine on New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands.
"Hazardous tsunami waves" were forecast for Vanuatu and New Caledonia by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC).
PTWC said waves 1 to 3 metres above the tide level could hit New Caledonia and Vanuatu and confirmed "tsunami waves have been observed" at about 3:45pm (AEST).
According to PTWC, any waves that hit Australia as a result of the tremor would be less than 0.3 metres tall.
At least five aftershocks also hit, ranging in magnitude from 5.6 to 6.
New Caledonia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" — the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic activity occur.
ABC/AP
