Thousands flee after Vanuatu quake

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Thousands of panicked South Pacific islanders fled coastal areas after three powerful earthquakes jolted the region.

Thursday's quakes came just over a week after another deadly earthquake struck the South Pacific.

With that recent tragedy fresh in mind, local residents in low-lying regions took no chances, fleeing immediately to higher ground.

In Samoa, where at least 142 people were killed in the September tsunami that followed the quake, thousands of people headed for the hills.

Cars clogged the roads leading inland. Hotel staff knocked on doors warning guests to evacuate, and schools were emptied.

"Who are you guys going?"

"We are going to a safe place."

The quake, which had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, struck the Pacific region Thursday morning. The epicenter was about 300 kilometers northwest of the Vanuatu island of Santo.

Two other quakes, measuring 7.7 and 7.3, followed soon after.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a regional tsunami warning for 11 nations and territories.

There were no immediate reports of damage, and all tsunami warnings and watches were soon cancelled.

Seismologists said Thursday's quakes appear to be unrelated to the September quake near Samoa. The quakes occurred along different fault lines, and the way the earth's plates moved in both events also differed.