Earthquake Near Solomon Islands Sparks Tsunami Alert
By Emma O'Brien and Ed Johnson
April 2 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck near the coast of the Solomon Islands, spurring a tsunami warning for Australia, Indonesia and South Pacific island nations.
The quake occurred at 7:39 a.m. Solomon Islands time, 45 kilometers (25 miles) south southeast of the coastal settlement of Gizo, in the New Georgia archipelago and 345 kilometers west northwest of the capital, Honiara, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said in an e-mailed alert.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Australia and Indonesia.
Towns and villages were damaged in the Solomon Islands when a tsunami swept ashore, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an unidentified police official, who said there were no reports of casualties. The center said it received reports of a 15- centimeter high wave at Honiara.
The Solomon Islands, about 2,500 kilometers from the eastern coast of Australia, has a population of about 550,000 people and experiences frequent earth tremors and volcanic activity.
A tsunami watch extends to Fiji, Guam, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, Tonga and Samoa, the center said in an e- mailed statement.
``An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours,'' the center said in an e-mailed statement. ``Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility.''
An aftershock of magnitude 6.7, also at a depth of 10 kilometers, hit 539 kilometers west northwest of Honiara at 7:47 a.m. Solomon Islands time, the USGS said on its Web site.
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