Quake sparks rush to high ground
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Residents of the remote Solomon Islands rushed into the hills after a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck yesterday, with some reports of small tsunami waves as aftershocks rattled the nation.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage, although communication can be difficult across the archipelago of some 900 far-flung islands.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning for a wide area of the South Pacific, although that alert was later cancelled by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC).
Life appeared to be back to normal for most people on the Solomons’ six main islands within hours of the quake, although residents in southern Makira province, which was closest to the epicentre, remained cautious. The province on San Cristobal island is about 200km east of the capital, Honiara.
‘‘We are quite safe up the hill from the sea,’’ John Pirimare, a resident of Nafinua Island, said from the hills to where he and up to 600 other villagers had evacuated after the quake.
Solomons authorities have warned that a threat of unusual waves and abnormal high tides and currents remains.
Pirimare said some of the dozen or so aftershocks felt as strong as the original quake.
The United States Geological Survey originally recorded the quake with a magnitude of 8 but later downgraded it to 7.8. The quake struck at a depth of around 40km.
There was a modest rise in the sea level in the region, with a 43cm lift recorded in neighbouring New Caledonia, south of the epicentre, according to the Hawaii-based PTWC.
While the PTWC later cancelled its warning of a potentially hazardous tsunami for the Solomons and neighbouring island chains, authorities in New Caledonia ordered people on the east coast and in the Loyalty Islands to move to higher ground.
Martin Karani, a politician who represents Makira in the Solomons parliament, said the southern parts of the province were the hardest hit.
‘‘Waves have come into the villages and taken away the dugout canoes that were on the shore and also some houses that were down near the beach, but when it came through all of the villagers had already taken off.’’
Loti Yates, director of the National Disaster Management Office in the Solomons, said tsunami waves hit the southern region but there were no reports of casualties.
The Solomons, perched on the geologically active ‘‘Pacific Ring of Fire’’, were hit by a devastating tsunami following an 8.1 magnitude quake in 2007. That disaster killed at least 50 people, left dozens missing and destroyed 13 villages.
Lyndene Wan from the charity group Plan International Australia said residents in the capital were largely unruffled.
‘‘Things definitely shook for some minutes, but I’m walking around, I’ve been up the hill, and looking out over Honiara there is no visible damage here,’’ Wan said.
Yates said authorities were still waiting to find out the extent of the damage.
‘‘Most houses are built by traditional materials, so some houses are reported to have been damaged in south Malaita but the extent is not known.’’
He said a helicopter had been sent to survey the damage on Malaita, which is home to about a quarter of the Solomons’ population of 600,000.
Yates said he and his team were still trying to communicate with the remote island of Kirakira. Their efforts were being hampered by poor telecommunication infrastructure in the areas.
- Reuters, Fairfax