WELLINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The strong earthquake occurred nearby Tonga "might be felt in Auckland", and "possibly elsewhere in New Zealand," said the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences early Thursday morning.

    Currently there are no reports in detail of response about the earthquake from New Zealand.

    A strong earthquake measuring 8.0 has rocked the Pacific island nation of Tonga, reports said.

    The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 155km (95 miles) south of the island of Neiafu and north-east of the capital, Nuku'alofa.

    It struck at 0426 local time (1526 GMT), the USGS said.

    There was no immediate word of damage or casualties, but tsunami alerts were in effect for Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Hawaii.

    Areas along New Zealand's coastline were told to expect tsunami-type waves within the coming hours. Enditem