Solomon Islands hit by 8.0 quake and tsunami, at least 5 dead — RT

Solomon Islands hit by 8.0 quake and tsunami, at least 5 dead — RT

An 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific on Wednesday. At least five people died as the disaster reportedly flattened several coastal villages.
Five people were confirmed dead in the disaster. They were two elderly men, two elderly women and a boy aged between 10 and 12, local medics said.
The epicenter of the tremor was located at a shallow depth of 5.8 km in the area of the Santa Cruz Islands, the US Geological Survey initially reported. It later revised it to a much greater depth of 28.7 km. The first tremor was followed shortly after by two strong aftershocks – one rated at magnitude 6.4 and another at 6.6 – and dozens smaller ones over the next few hours.
At least three villages along the Lata coast have been reported destroyed, Director of Nursing Augustine Bilve at Lata Hospital told New Zealand’s One News. He said up to 700 people lived in the affected villages and the hospital was expecting many casualties.
“It's more likely that other villages along the coast of Santa Cruz would also be affected," Bilve added.
Read More: Solomon Islands hit by 8.0 quake and tsunami, at least 5 dead — RT

Map locating the epicentre of an 8.0 magnitude quake that struck off Solomon Islands.