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| Tsunami alert after Solomon Islands earthquake | Tsunami alert after Solomon Islands earthquake |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A tsunami generated by a major 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake off the Solomon Islands has sparked a warning for the many island nations of the south Pacific. | |
| Reports of damage to villages in the Solomons from the quake and a 90cm tsunami wave hitting the islands were emerging after the earthquake struck off the Santa Cruz islands, which are Solomons territory. The epicentre was located 211 miles (340km) east of Kira Kira. The US Geological Survey initially put the quake epicentre at a very shallow depth of three miles (5km) but later revised this to a much greater depth of 17.8 miles (28.7km). | |
| News agencies quoted local police as saying several Solomon Islands villages had been damaged by the quake but there was no official confirmation. | |
| The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for the Solomons, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna. A tsunami watch was in effect for American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Indonesia. However the alerts were under constant review, with levels being raised and lowered for the numerous nations in the potential danger zone. | |
| The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a tsunami of 90cm (3 feet) was measured at Lata wharf in the Solomons. No tsunami damage was immediately reported. | |
| In Honiara, the warning prompted residents to flee for higher ground. "People are still standing on the hills outside of Honiara just looking out over the water, trying to observe if there is a wave coming in," said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. So far he had received no reports that a wave had been observed in Honiara. | In Honiara, the warning prompted residents to flee for higher ground. "People are still standing on the hills outside of Honiara just looking out over the water, trying to observe if there is a wave coming in," said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. So far he had received no reports that a wave had been observed in Honiara. |
| Atenia Tahu, who works for the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation in Honiara, said most people were remaining calm. "People around the coast and in the capital are ringing in and trying to get information from us and the National Disaster Office and are slowly moving up to higher ground," Tahu said. | |
| "But panic? No, no, no, people are not panicking." | "But panic? No, no, no, people are not panicking." |
| The warning centre did not say how big the tsunami might be at its height but it gave arrival times from a few minutes to several hours to island nations around the south Pacific. | The warning centre did not say how big the tsunami might be at its height but it gave arrival times from a few minutes to several hours to island nations around the south Pacific. |
| "When no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours then local authorities can assume the threat is passed," the Hawaii-based centre said. | "When no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours then local authorities can assume the threat is passed," the Hawaii-based centre said. |