Solomon Islands Tsunami Kills 15

Apr 02, 12:10 PM

Current Headlines: A strong South Pacific earthquake Monday created a tsunami that sent a wall of water over the Solomon Islands and killed at least 15 people.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 8.0 on the Richter scale, and was centered six miles deep northwest of the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, northeast of Australia.

The small fishing town of Gizo was just 25 miles from the epicenter, and Western Province Premier Alex Lokopio told reporters that's where 15 people were swept out to sea by a wall of water at least 15 feet high, the BBC reported.

There wasn't any warning -- the warning was the earth tremors, Lokopio said.

Robert Iroga, editor of the Solomon Star newspaper, said it was too early to put a death toll on the disaster but said he heard reports from locals that bodies were floating in the sea in one area.

Government spokesman Alfred Maesulia told CNN a lot of people were missing, while Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said it was fortunate the tsunami hit during daylight hours when the early warning sign of the sea rapidly receding was noticed.