A building flattened after being hit by a tsunami that hit on April 2 in Gizo, Solomon Islands. Photo / Reuters
A building flattened after being hit by a tsunami that hit on April 2 in Gizo, Solomon Islands. Photo / Reuters
KEY POINTS:
There has been an earthquake in the Solomon Islands measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which had an epicentre 10 kilometres under the sea bed.
The epicentre was about 250km west of Gizo in the SolomonIslands, where a tsunami killed at least 34 people and destroyed up to 2500 homes on April 2.
Meanwhile heavy flooding has forced more than 3000 people to flee to higher ground in the north-east of Guadalcanal in the Solomons.
Some 80 villages have been affected after torrential rains caused two rivers to break their banks, with waters rising up to 10 metres in some places, the National Disaster Management Office said in a statement.
No casualties have been reported but local elders have called for authorities to arrange for relief supplies to be sent after flood waters destroyed food gardens.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre's website said there was no threat of a destructive or widespread tsunami following the quake, based on historical data.
Papua New Guinea's Geophysical Observatory in Port Moresby said the quake hit at 12.52pm local time (2.52pm NZ time) in an area well known for earthquakes.
"We understand there will not be much disturbance tsunami-wise," the observatory's Mathew Moihoi told Reuters from Port Moresby, adding authorities were still checking for any localised damage from the quake.
The Solomon Islands lies on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.
