Strong quake off Solomons' remote Santa Cruz province

SYDNEY, Aug 10, 2009 (AFP) - A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit near the Solomon Islands' remote Santa Cruz province Monday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage in the Pacific region.

SYDNEY, Aug 10, 2009 (AFP) - A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit near the Solomon Islands' remote Santa Cruz province Monday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage in the Pacific region.

The epicentre of the undersea quake was located about 166 kilometres (103 miles) east of the Santa Cruz islands, at a depth of 42 kilometres (26 miles), the US Geological Survey reported. It struck at 0406 GMT.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii did not issue an alert after the quake but said it could cause localised damage up to 100 kilometres away.

Geoscience Australia said it had received no reports of any damage.

An 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the western Solomons in April 2007 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands.

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