Solomons take stock of damage
Reports of damage come in from the Solomon Islands following a 7.8 magnitude quake and aftershocks.
LICE MOVONO
Republished from The Fiji Times, 9 December, 2016, 3:38 pm
REPORTS are coming in from the Solomon Islands of landslides and damaged buildings affecting up to 3,000 people and 40 houses following a 7.8 magnitude quake early this morning and several aftershocks, the largest measuring 6.3 around 11am Fiji Time.
Fijians on the island took to social media to describe the shocks.
#SolomonIslandsEarthquake Aftershocks now. Quite a large one had us running out of building. Stairs are crumbling and we have relocated.
— Mereia Carling (@mereiacarling) December 8, 2016
Meanwhile, preliminary the country’s disaster management minister Samuel Manetoali said reports of damage were expected given the isolation and lack of communication with remote communities.
Meanwhile disaster management officials and relief organisations based in the Solomon Islands are awaiting results of an aerial survey carried out after the 6.38am quake near Kirakira to determine immediate response.
#WorldVision joining with Government response team to support people impacted by #SolomonIslandsEarthquake. pic.twitter.com/yOs0hl7o2h
— Daryl (@CrowdenDaryl) December 9, 2016
Solomon Islands sits on the “Ring of Fire”, an area on the Pacific Ocean where about 90 per cent of all of the worlds earthquakes occur. Other countries in the “Ring of Fire” which have recorded substantial seismic activity include New Zealand and Japan which have both recorded quakes 7.0 on the Richter scale.
