From correspondents in Wellington, New Zealand, 09:30 AM IST

A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale Saturday jolted the Kermadec Islands in New Zealand, officials said.

The quake occurred at 0053 GMT, 830 km northeast of Auckland, the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences reported.

There were no reports of damage or casualties so far, and no tsunami warning has been issued, it said.

The Kermadec Islands have no permanent human population.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)