Earthquake of magnitude 6.6 hits South Pacific near Samoa; no damages

A magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck in the South Pacific near the island nation of Samoa on Friday, but caused no apparent damage.

The quake occurred 440 kilometers (273 miles) southwest of the capital Apia at a depth of 314 kilometers (195 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

Jarrett Malifa, a staff member at the Samoa Observer news website, said no damage or injury has been reported.

Malifa said in a email Samoa Meteorological Services had confirmed there was no tsunami threat.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu also assessed there was no tsunami threat.

Samoa sits on the Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.

In 2009, two large earthquakes struck midway between Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory. The earthquakes generated tsunami waves that killed at least 192 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.