An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 has hit the Solomon Islands, sparking a tsunami alert for surrounding islands in the South Pacific region. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that hazardous tsunami waves up to one metre above tide level were 'possible' along the coasts of neighbouring islands.
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were listed as threatened coastal areas. Australia, Samoa, New Zealand, Indonesia, Tonga, New Caledonia and a number of other surrounding islands are all on tsunami alert for waves less than 0.3 metres.
The earthquake struck roughly 168 kilometres deep, near Bougaineville Island - which is located in between Papua New Guinea and mainland Solomon Islands. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed "There was no tsunami threat for Australia. NZ Civil Defence confirmed New Zealand was not at threat of a tsunami either."
Also read:
Bus burst into flames on highway ,16 people kills near Verona in northern Italy
