Earthquake hits near Solomon Islands

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted Solomon Islands at 20:15 GMT Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The epicenter of the quake was located 323 kilometers south- east of the Solomon Islands capital Honiara at a depth of 29.3 kilometers, USGS said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has issued a localised tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea after the powerful earthquake. The earthquake was originally registered as magnitude 8.3 but was later revised down to 7.6 by USGS. All tsunami watches previously announced by PTWC were cancelled upon revision. Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology said there is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland or islands. There is also no tsunami threat to Hawaii according to the latest data.