Tsunami kills at least five people in Solomon Islands

A powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami that killed at least five people in a remote part of the Solomon Islands and triggered evacuations across the South Pacific.

The quake struck 211 miles east of Kira Kira, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii said as it issued warnings for the Solomons and other South Pacific nations including Australia and New Zealand. It later cancelled the warnings for the outlying regions.

A 3ft tsunami hit near the town of Lata on Santa Cruz island, swamping villages and the town’s airport as people fled to safety on higher ground.

Reuters