6.7 magnitude Earthquake in Solomon Islands

LEAD: M6.7 earthquake hits Solomon Islands+

Aug 16 06:15 AM US/Eastern

 

 

TOKYO, Aug. 16 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: UPDATING WITH TSUNAMI THREAT ASSESSMENT)

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 struck in the Solomon Islands on Thursday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors world quakes, said on its website.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which struck at 7:39 p.m. local time at its epicenter, located some 75 kilometers west-southwest of Honiara, the country's capital on the island of Guadalcanal.

The quake had a depth of 1.8 km under the seabed.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical quake and tsunami data.

But it cautioned that quakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 km of the epicenter.

On April 2, a tsunami triggered by a M8.1 quake hit the Solomon Islands, killing more than 50 people and displacing tens of thousands.

The island of Gizo bore the brunt of fatalities.