Earthquake hits near Solomon Islands

An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 has hit near the Solomon Islands, but there have been no reports of major damage or casualties.

The undersea quake was registered at a depth of 29km (18 miles), 100km (60 miles) south-east of Kira Kira.

A tsunami warning issued for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia was later cancelled.

The Solomon islands suffered severe flash floods just over a week ago in which at least 16 people died.

Strong waves were reported after the earthquake struck at 07:14 on Sunday (20:14 GMT Saturday).

Dorothy Wickham, who lives in the capital Honiara, told the Agence France-Presse news agency that people had been warned to stay away from low-lying areas, as high seas battered the coast.

But no injuries or structural damage have been reported.