A powerful 7(point)8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands early today, however there were no immediate reports of casualties. The tsunami alert has been lifted.<br/><br/> Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office director Loti Yates said he received reports of collapsed buildings on Malaita, an island near the epicentre of the massive undersea earthquake, which had initially prompted a tsunami watch as far afield as Hawaii.<br/><br/>He said several villages had evacuated to higher ground. Mr. Yates said that a helicopter had been sent to survey the damage at Malaita, which is home to about a quarter of the Solomon Islands population of 600,000.<br/><br/>The US Geological Survey downgraded the earthquake, which struck at 4:38 a.m. local time, to magnitude 7.8 from an original reading of 8.0. It estimated the depth at around 40 km.

A major 7(point)7-magnitude quake struck today off the Solomon Islands triggering severe shaking and a tsunami warning. However, officials said there were no reports of any serious damage.<br/><br/>Initially the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued warning of possible "widespread, hazardous" tsunami waves which forced villagers to flee to higher ground. But the warning was downgraded within three hours as the threat passed without major incident.<br/><br/>The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 4:38 a.m., with its epicentre located 68 kilometres west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands.<br/><br/>Duty seismologist at Geoscience Australia Hugh Glanville, said the offshore epicentre of the earthquake and sparsely populated areas helped minimise the impact.

A major 7.7-magnitude quake struck today off the Solomon Islands triggering severe shaking and a tsunami warning. However, officials said there were no reports of any serious damage.<br/><br/>Initially the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued warning of possible "widespread, hazardous" tsunami waves which forced villagers to flee to higher ground. But the warning was downgraded within three hours as the threat passed without major incident.<br/><br/>The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 4:38 a.m., with its epicentre located 68 kilometres west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands.<br/><br/>Duty seismologist at Geoscience Australia Hugh Glanville, said the offshore epicentre of the earthquake and sparsely populated areas helped minimise the impact.