2 earthquakes have struck near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, 1 of 7.2 magnitude. The USGS said the 2 quakes, the 2nd of which measured 6.5, struck about 56 miles from the small island of Gizo. There are no reports of casualties but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a minor local tsunami was generated. It said the quakes were likely to cause coastal destruction but posed no wider threat. The larger quake was measured at a depth of about 19 miles, and was followed several hours later by quakes of magnitude 5.3 and 5.2. On the tiny island of Rendova, near Gizo, several houses collapsed but there were no other reports of damage. Gizo, on Ghizo island, is the 2nd largest town in the Solomon Islands archipelago with a population of around 6,000. Residents in Honiara, about 360km away on the island of Guadalcanal, said they felt shakes but there was no damage. An 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the same area nearly 3 years ago killed more than 50 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands.
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