An earthquake registering a magnitude of 8.0 was recorded early Wednesday off the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific Ocean, triggering a tsunami warning, dpa reported.
The quake struck at 0112 GMT near the Santa Cruz Islands, part of the Solomons around 400 kilometres west of the country's main island group, and at a depth of 5.8 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
A tsunami warning was issued for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Caldedonia by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission. A tsunami watch was in place for most of the rest of the Pacific coastline, except North America.