(Vatican Radio) A powerful earthquake off the Solomon Islands on Wednesday generated
a tsunami of up to 1.5 meters that damaged homes and left several people missing and
presumed dead in the South Pacific island chain. Local rescue teams are searching
for victims and survivors of the tsunami. The nearly five foot waves hit the western
side of Santa Cruz island, sweeping over dozens of homes and properties in four villages
along the coast. Two villages suffered severe damage. Disaster officials struggled
to reach the remote area after the tsunami flooded the airstrip at the nearest airport,
littering it with debris. Thankfully, many people heeded tsunami warnings and headed
to higher ground after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck near the town of Lata, on
Santa Cruz in the easternmost province in the Solomons.
More than 50 people
were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007 when a magnitude-8.1 quake
hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages.
The
Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about a half a million
people. 90 percent of the world's quakes occur in this volcanic zone. Listen to this
report by Tracey McClure