A strong earthquake hit the South Pacific near the Solomon Islands on Tuesday. The US Earthquake Station (USGS) estimated the magnitude at 7.0, other measuring stations at a maximum of 7.3. The earthquake occurred at noon (local time) 17 kilometers southwest of Malango in the province of Guadalcanal at a depth of about ten kilometers.
The tsunami warning system in the US and other authorities had initially warned of a tsunami, but everything was declared safe a few hours later.
damage to buildings
There were initially no reports of deaths, injuries or major destruction in the Solomon Islands, but local media said there was damage to buildings. Many people panicked and tried to get away from the coasts and to higher ground. Malango is less than 40 kilometers southwest of the capital Honiara. The archipelago with 700,000 inhabitants is mainly flat houses, which is favorable during earthquakes.
Authorities advised the population to remain cautious even after everything was safe, as aftershocks are likely, the Solomon Times newspaper reported. In Honiara, electricity was temporarily shut off to check for possible damage to the lines.
The Solomon Islands in the South Pacific are made up of hundreds of islands and are located east of New Guinea. Surrounding island states are Tuvalu, Fiji and Vanuatu.
More than 160 people were killed in an earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java on Monday. Both the Solomon Islands and Indonesia lie on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on Earth. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common there.
Source: Krone
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