Quake-prone Pacific nations hold joint tsunami drills

MANILA: Quake-prone countries around the Pacific Ocean Wednesday began a joint exercise testing their ability to deliver timely warnings of approaching tsunamis to tens of millions of people living along the coast.

The annual "Pacific Wave" exercise is taking place in a region where nearly eight in 10 of the world's tsunamis—giant waves usually caused by underwater earthquakes—occur, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said.