© Hugh Gentry/ReutersThe Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii has issued an alert after a quake off the Solomon Islands.
Sydney - A small tsunami hit the Solomon Islands on Wednesday after a major 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake sparked a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations and placed many more nations including Australia and Indonesia on alert.
The quake struck at a very shallow depth of only five km (three miles) and was located 340 km (211 miles) east of Kira Kira in the Solomons, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said.
The center said a tsunami measuring 0.9 metres (three feet) hit the Solomons following the quake.
The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation cited a witness who said water was covering an airstrip in Lata, in Temotu province, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Solomon Islands police in the small town of Kira Kira, on San Chrostobal island, said they felt the quake, but there were no reports of any damage from the quake or a tsunami.
"We felt the shock. We have warned people to get to higher ground," said local police officer Samuel Tora.
The tsunami warning center gave arrival times from a few minutes to several hours to island nations around the South Pacific.
The warning was issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, and Wallis and Futuna islands.
