A powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake has struck near the Pacific’s Solomon Islands, the US Geological Survey has said.
The quake, which was centred about 120 miles south-east of the capital Honiara, means huge waves are possible in several South Pacific islands.
Prelim M7.7 earthquake Solomon Islands Dec-8 17:38 UTC, updates https://t.co/jVUw6Hlx38, 0 #quake tweets/min
— USGSted (@USGSted) December 8, 2016
These include Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tuvalu and in Kosrae, in the Federated States of Micronesia.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said it was investigating whether there was any danger to Hawaii.
The epicentre was relatively deep at 30 miles below the surface and deeper quakes generally cause less damage on the ground.
The Solomon Islands are located in the Pacific’s geologically active “Ring of Fire”.
