Key points: Earthquake triggered tsunami warnings across the pacific, but PTWC says threat has largely passed

Solomon Islands police still have not heard from southern side of island closest to quake

There is no risk to Australia's coastlines

Authorities are starting to receive reports of damage from the earthquake, with police saying they had been told 35 houses were damaged on the island of Makira, including the police barracks at the provincial capital Kirakira. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said: “Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours along some coasts of the Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tuvalu and Kosrae.”

The Solomon Islands, a British overseas territory until 1978, are part of the so-called ‘Pacific ring of fire’ which is prone to large earthquakes. There were reports of some power outages in the Solomon Islands, although there were no immediate reports of widespread damage or injuries from the quake. Solomon Islands hit by powerful aftershocks after magnitude-7.8 quake

Updated

Residents in Solomon Islands were hit by powerful aftershocks following a magnitude-7.8 earthquake which struck 130 kilometres from the capital Honiara.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Makira in the Solomon Islands, causing infrastructure damage, yet no casualties have been reported in the hours following the quake.