Quake recorded off Vanuatu islands

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, July 31 (UPI) -- U.S. seismologists said a strong earthquake with a magnitude 6.1 struck Sunday near the remote South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

There were no immediate reports of damage on the islands and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any tidal wave warnings.

The quake was centered a little more than 200 miles northeast of Vanuatu and nearly 1,400 from New Zealand. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was a relatively shallow 19 kilometers (11.8 miles).

Vanuatu is located in a seismically active area of the Pacific but generally gets through the sometimes-sizable shakers unscathed.