A POWERFUL 7.6-magnitude earthquake has struck near the Solomon Islands, generating a tsunami warning for much of the South Pacific region, including Australia.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Hawaii said it did not know whether a tsunami had been generated, but issued a warning because of its strength. The warning area includes the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Nauru.
An earlier tsunami watch for Fiji, Australia, Indonesia and nearby areas was cancelled after the earthquake was revised down from its original magnitude of 8.3.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake which stuck just before 6am this morning (AEST), initially estimated at a magnitude 8.3, occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometres.
The USGS said it occurred about 96 kilometres south-southeast of Kirakira, and about 300 kilometres from Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara.
This is the second time in a fortnight that the Pacific island nation has been stuck by a natural disaster.
source:news.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 