South Pacific quake, tsunami kills at least 5

By Becky Bratu and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

Updated at 4:15 a.m. ET: At least five people have been killed after a strong earthquake in the South Pacific generated a 3-foot tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and local news reports.?

The U.S. Geological Survey said?the quake -- with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 -- struck Wednesday in the Santa Cruz Islands at a depth of about 3 miles. The Santa Cruz Islands are scarcely populated and are part of the Solomon Islands.

A 3-foot wave hit near the town of Lata on the remote Kira Kira island, swamping some villages and the town's main airport as people fled to safety on higher ground, Reuters said.

There was no tsunami threat to Hawaii, the?Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.?

Reuters reported that Lata hospital's director of nursing, Augustine Pilve, told New Zealand television that five people had been killed, including a boy aged about 10. Pilve added that more casualties were possible as officials were making their way to at least three villages that may have been hit.

It was not immediately clear if the deaths were caused by the tremor or the tidal surge.

Solomon Islands police commissioner?John Lansley told Australian Broadcasting Corporation?that the worst hit area was around Lata.

"We understand a part of the airstrip has been damaged, which is going to cause some issues in respect to getting relief aid out there, but that is being assessed at this moment," he said.

The quake struck at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday local time (8:23 p.m. Tuesday ET) and was followed by dozens of aftershocks including a 6.3 magnitude tremor at 5:35 p.m. local time (1:35 a.m. ET) Wednesday.

USGS officials said the later shocks were "not at all surprising."

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued and then later cancelled a tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futana.

A tsunami watch was issued and later cancelled for Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and Guam.?

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/06/16858962-at-least-5-killed-as-south-pacific-quake-triggers-3-foot-tsunami?lite

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