A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coasts of Vanuatu and New Caledonia on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, sparking a tsunami warning for surrounding nations. The quake struck at just after midnight on Thursday local time (1320 GMT) about 415 kilometres east of Vao in New Caledonia at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to USGS. "Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours," the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. axn/reb