Solomon Islands Rocked By Powerful Quake

Solomon Islands Rocked By Powerful Quake

A tsunami was triggered by the 8.0 magnitude earthquake the shook the Solomon Islands recently.

Augustine Blive, the director of a local hospital, revealed that five persons died after waves hit the eastern part of the islands, particularly the Santa Cruz Islands. Reports have indicated that a local airport and villages nearby suffered some damage due to the nearly one-meter waves.

The hospital remained intact although a number of patients were transferred. The program director of World Vision for the Solomon Islands, Andrew Catford, revealed that the earthquake was felt by their staff and the waves came after around five minutes.

The humanitarian organization is still evaluating the damage that resulted from the tsunami although the airport and villages nearby may have been severely affected. A tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center following the earthquake near the Solomon Islands.

The alert was called off after relevant information was assessed. The US Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was close to the Santa Cruz Islands.

After the reports of the earthquake near the Solomon Islands spread, advisories were released by different countries in the region. New Zealand authorities advised people along the west coast to move away from the shore and not to go into the water.

Japanese authorities also released advisories against small changes in the sea level that may affect the eastern coastline of the country. An evacuation of residents along the eastern coast of the Loyalty Islands and New Caledonia was implemented by authorities.

The USGS revealed that the region was rocked by a number of earthquakes prior to the 8.0 magnitude earthquake. The biggest was a 6.6-magnitude earthquake.

It can be recalled that the western region of the Solomon Islands was hit by an earthquake in 2007 that set off a tsunami, killing 52 people.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday February 07 2013, 5:19 AM EST. Ref: CNN. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0