Magnitude-7 earthquake hits Solomon Islands

An aerial view of ships and boats anchored at the harbour in Honiara.
By Alexandra Coulton


A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara yesterday, with DFAT reporting widespread infrastructure damage.

The earthquake hit about 65km Guadalcanal, which is home to the nation’s capital city and was followed by a tsunami warning that has since been cancelled.

The Australian government is advising travellers in the area to be aware of their surroundings, as there is risk of structural damage to buildings, and warned of potential telecommunication outages.

According to the Solomon Islands’ tourism authority, Tourism Solomons, the only reports of damage came from tiles on the frontage of a local shopping mall that were shaken loose and fell on to two cars, smashing windscreens and denting bonnets.

There have not been any reports of deaths or injuries.

ABC reporter, Nick Sas posted images of “significant” damage to the roof of Honiara Airport in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the roof of the Australian High Commission annex had collapsed, which pointed to likely damage throughout the city.

He added that there was some initial difficulty in confirming the safety of Australians in the area as phone lines were down.

Adilah Dolaiano, a Honiara resident told ABC News that the quake felt like “crossing through rough waters” on a ferry.

“I was a bit scared, to be honest. My car was swaying from side to side,” he said.

“There were melons and mangoes and vegetables thrown off the stalls and the poor women were shouting.”

Also in Honiara at the time was journalist Charley Piringi, who told ABC News he was near a primary school at the time of the earthquake and saw children running to safety.

“It was a huge one. We were all shocked, and everyone is running everywhere,” he said.

The earthquake hit the day after at least 268 people were killed when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit West Java in Indonesia.

Indonesian rescuers are still working to find survivors but damaged roads and the size of the area affected are causing issues, according to BBC News.

Both the Solomon Islands and Indonesia sit within the ‘Ring of Fire’ and while not an everyday occurrence, earthquakes are regularly felt in the region.

Featured image: Honiara harbour (iStock/Gilmore Tana)

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