Strong quake rattles Solomons, none injured
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Solomon Islands on Tuesday, swaying buildings, hurling items off shelves and briefly knocking out power in parts of the capital Honiara.
There were no reports of serious injuries or major structural damage.
“This was a big one,” Joy Nisha, a receptionist with the Heritage Park Hotel in the capital, told AFP.
“Some of the things in the hotel fell. Everyone seems OK, but panicky.”
At one recently built mall, chunks of cladding were shaken loose, crushing the bonnet of a car and breaking the windshield.
The roof of an annexe at the Australian High Commission also collapsed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament in Canberra, stating ‘there are no known injuries’.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said damage assessments were ongoing and it was too early to know what military assistance might be sent to help. “We always stand ready to support our Pacific neighbours,” he told AFP by phone from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
“We will no doubt look at what the needs are... and go from there.”
An AFP reporter in Honiara said the shaking lasted for around 20 seconds.
Power was immediately knocked out in some areas of the capital and phone lines were also down.
Across the city, people fled their homes and workplaces for higher ground, fearing a tsunami.
“I was really scared because this is the first time I felt this kind of earthquake,” said a manager at the Pacific Casino Hotel, who asked not to be named. “The building was really violently shaking... It was really strong, it made you move side to side.”