A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Solomon Islands on Monday, leaving up to 500 homes damaged or destroyed and potentially rendering thousands of residents homeless, according to disaster officials. The tremor triggered a minor tsunami and prompted coastal evacuations, with several people sustaining light injuries while fleeing shorelines.
The US Geological Survey placed the epicenter roughly 103 kilometers from the island town of Gizo. The main shock was preceded by a 6.5 magnitude event earlier that morning and followed by eight aftershocks ranging from 4.9 to 5.7 over the next 12 hours. Authorities dispatched a patrol boat carrying supplies to the hardest-hit areas around Rendova island and Marovo Lagoon.
Hawaii's tsunami warning center confirmed no broader Pacific threat existed. The region suffered a deadly magnitude 8.0 quake nearly three years earlier that killed 52 people and displaced thousands.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in January 2010, in its own words.