Solomons escape serious damage after powerful 7.7 quake

Sydney : A major 7.7-magnitude quake struck Friday off the Solomon Islands triggering severe shaking and a tsunami warning, but there were no reports of any serious damage, officials said. 

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially said there could be possible "widespread, hazardous" tsunami waves, forcing villagers to flee to higher ground. 

But within three hours the warning was downgraded after the threat passed without major incident. 

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 4:38 am (1738 GMT Thursday), was located 68 kilometres (42 miles) west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands, at a depth of 48 kilometres, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. 

A shallow 6.5 aftershock rattled the same area some four hours later.

Electricity supplies were cut in some parts of the Solomons and there were reports of thatched houses collapsing. 

Donald Tehimae, an officer at the Kirakira police station, said most of the damage appeared to be superficial. 

"Some houses have been damaged but no one was hurt. At the police station a lot of documents in the storeroom fell down," he said. 

Suzy Sainovski, an official with aid organisation World Vision in the capital Honiara, said the shaking was frightening.

"The earthquake woke me up. I was in bed and it was dark and it felt like being in a matchbox that someone was just shaking and shaking," she told AFP.

"It felt almost like the hotel’s foundation was just moving in waves. The shaking felt like it went on for quite a while -– 30 to 45 seconds. The cupboard doors were shaking, but nothing fell over.

"Just from briefly looking outside my window as it begins to get light, I didn’t see any damage to buildings."