By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News
A 3-foot tsunami was generated after a strong earthquake shook the islands in the South Pacific, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The U.S. Geological Survey says 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 magnitude 6.4 aftershock occurred shortly after the first rumble, followed by a 6.6 one later. USGS officials said that was "not at all surprising."
Hotel workers on Vanuatu said they felt the earthquake but have not heard of any damage or injuries. An employee who can see the coast from a hotel said he had not noticed any water coming in.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had issued, 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.?
Luke Taula, a fisheries officer in Lata on Santa Cruz Island, which took the brunt of the tsunami, told Reuters it arrived in small tidal surges rather than as one large wave.?
"We have small waves come in, then go out again, then come back in. The waves have reached the airport terminal," he told Reuters by telephone.
About 5,000 people lived in and around the town, but the area was deserted as people fled to higher ground, Taula said, adding that aftershocks were being felt, Reuters reported.
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