M 8 EQ in Solomons Islands
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2013/02/667.jpg Map locating the epicentre of an 8.0 magnitude quake that struck off Solomon Islands, with tectonic plate lines shown in red (Reuters/USGS)
By 3 News online staff with NZN
Media reports suggest five people have died in the Santa Cruz Islands, part of the Solomon Islands, following a tsunami caused by a magnitude-8.0 earthquake.
At least five people are dead and three injured, reports Agence France Presse (AFP).
"One of the dead was a male child, three were elderly women and one an elderly man," Chris Rogers, a nurse at Lata Hospital in the Santa Cruz Islands, told AFP
It remains unclear if it was the quake or the ensuing tsunami which caused the casualties, but major damage has been caused to three villages on Santa Cruz Island.
Earlier this evening World Vision staff in the Solomon Islands said the likelihood of casualties following the tsunami would be high.
Jared Berends, operations manager for World Vision in the Solomon Islands, said four communities on the Santa Cruz headland, and near the airport, have borne the brunt of the tsunami. There are reports of up to 100 homes being destroyed.
New Zealand potential tsunami threat alert cancelled, minor threat remains
A tsunami potential threat warning issued by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) in New Zealand following the earthquake in the Solomon Islands has now been cancelled.
