The remote island of Ranongga in the western Solomon Islands has been elevated 3 metres out of the sea by the force of last Monday's earthquake exposing once submerged coral reefs .



Eyewitnesses say the exposed reefs are bleaching in the sun, and are now covered with dead fish, eels, clams and other marine life.

Environmentalists say the loss of the reefs is a huge blow for the fishing communities dotted along Ranongga's coast, who rely on the fish and shells for their basic needs.