7.1 Magnitude Quake Strikes Off Solomon Islands

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit off the Solomon Islands Friday, two days after an 8.0-magnitude quake sparked a tsunami, but there was no threat of widespread destructive waves this time, U.S. agencies said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 10:12 pm (11:12 GMT) near the Santa Cruz Islands, which are part of the Solomons, at a relatively shallow depth of nine kilometers (5.5 miles).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said "no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data".

"However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter," it added in a statement.

It was the latest strong aftershock to hit the area affected by Wednesday's tsunami, which killed 13 people with many more reported missing.

The aftershocks were hampering efforts to reach remote villages, up to 20 of which were through to have been swamped on Ndende island in the east of the island nation.

Some 6,000 people were thought to be homeless, the national disaster management office said.