Strong quake hits off Solomon Islands

SOLOMON ISLANDS: A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit off the Solomon Islands on Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but no destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was expected.

The USGS said the quake occurred at 0009 GMT, about 133 kilometres southeast of the Pacific nation’s capital Honiara, at an estimated depth of about 30 kilometres. Initial reports were that the tremor had caused no damage. “So far, we’ve had no reports of damage,” a spokeswoman for the Solomons National Disaster Management Centre told AFP.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami” was not expected, based on the information available. The Solomons lies in the “Pacific ring of fire,” a highly active earthquake zone.

AFP