Earthquake shakes sea floor near Vanuatu

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A strong earthquake has struck near the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.2 quake was centered 290 miles northwest of the key city of Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo. Vanuatu is part of the "ring of fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu is made up of 83 islands and lies about 1,400 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia.