New Delhi: Several people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake on Monday in the South Pacific sent a tsunami wave into the Solomon Islands.
The quake struck at 7:40 am local time (0210 IST) and was centred about 350 km west-northwest of Solomon capital Honiara at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey and Hong Kong Observatory said.
Waves of about 10 feet high reportedly struck the western Solomon town of Gizo, inundating buildings and causing widespread destruction.
There are no confirmed reports yet on the extent of loss of life and property but a Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that at least eight people might have died.
Several villages were completely destroyed by the tsunami, the chairman of the Solomon’s National Disaster Council said.
Solomon’s disaster management authorities have also said that communications problems were preventing an assessment of damage.
The disaster council has decided not to declare a state of emergency following a meeting because of the lack of information.
Geological agencies, including those in Australia and Japan, put the magnitude of the quake at 8.1 while the US Geological Survey's (USGS) revised its earlier estimate to 8.0.
The initial tremor was followed around seven minutes later by a second one, centred further west, of magnitude 6.7, USGS said.
A tsunami warning has also been issued for other Pacific rim countries.
The warning covers the Solomons, Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, with countries as far away as Japan on alert.
Australia has urged residents on its northeast coast to move to higher ground. The tsunami threat has also resulted in the closure of beaches along the eastern seaboard in Queensland and New South Wales.
The Solomon Islands, 2,575 km east of Australia, is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet and frequently experiences volcanic and seismic activity.
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