A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday (Dec 22) but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people.

Commercial flights had been set to resume on Sunday before a new earthquake struck the island nation. Aid efforts remained strained because of the difficulty accessing the Pacific island.

The quake briefly prompted a tsunami alert for parts of Vanuatu, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System, which is part of the National Weather Service. As of 2:14 p.m. local time, U.S. officials said the threat had passed.

Vanuatu is lifting its suspension of commercial flights almost a week after a deadly earthquake, as hundreds of stranded Australians continue to return home.

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, just days after a massive, deadly quake wreaked havoc on the Pacific archipelago.

A second earthquake in just five days has struck the Vanuatu Islands in the early hours of Sunday morning. The magnitude 6.2 quake follows a magnitude 7.3 that killed 14 people on Tuesday. Flights to Vanuatu's capital had just reopened after the first quake which toppled buildings,