Two strong earthquakes have hit near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific triggering a small local tsunami with some reports of damage, police said.
The magnitude 7.2 and 6.5 quakes struck close together around 2148 GMT and occurred around 55 miles south-southeast of the small island of Gizo, the US Geological Survey and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers said.
“There are no reports of casualties, but we have unconfirmed reports of property damage caused by possible tsunami waves on Tetepare island,” Gizo police constable Macarthur Pania said.
he quakes occurred at depths of about 20.5 miles.
“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated,” said the Hawaii-based tsunami centre in an emailed bulletin. “It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter.”
The warning centre said there was no wider tsunami threat to Pacific coastlines.
“It’s a big earthquake but it’s probably not going to cause a large regional tsunami,” Geoscience Australia seismologist Clive Collins said.
A large 8.1 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck Gizo in 2007, killing 52 people and leaving thousands homeless.
The Solomons are part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where colliding continental plates frequently causes seismic activity.
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