Earthquakes Trigger Tsunami Alerts in Italy and Vanuatu
Source reports published 23 Oct 2026, 10:26 pm – 24 Oct 2026, 2:31 pm AEST
Following a series of twelve earthquakes off the coast of Italy, authorities issued a tsunami alert. Simultaneously, two large earthquakes off the coast of Vanuatu prompted a tsunami warning for coastal areas within 300km of the epicentre.
What happened
- Twelve earthquakes, all above 4.0 magnitude, struck off the coast of Italy, primarily in the Messina and Palermo regions, on Friday afternoon.
- The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported the first tremor's epicentre in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea.
- Following the issuance of an orange tsunami warning, schools in Palermo and Messina were evacuated.
- Italian authorities classified the alert as ‘advisory,’ indicating potential impacts from waves under 0.5 metres and a run-up of less than one metre.
- Simultaneously, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu at 200km west of Sola on Saturday.
- The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for coastlines within 300km of the epicentre, identifying Vanuatu as potentially affected.
- No immediate threat was reported for Australia by the Bureau of Meteorology.