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).

Strong aftershocks hampered efforts to reach tsunami-hit villages in the Solomon Islands Friday, as the death toll after an 8.0-magnitude earthquake climbed to 13, with many more reported missing.

Officials said damage on Ndende island in the eastern Solomons was much worse than first thought, with up to 20 villages swamped in a tsunami generated by Wednesday's quake and 6,000 people homeless, doubling previous estimates.

Disaster relief agencies were struggling Thursday to reach remote tsunami-hit villages in the Solomon Islands, and warned the death toll following a powerful 8.0-magnitude quake is likely to rise.

At least six people were confirmed dead after Wednesday's quake generated a wave that swamped coastal communities on Ndende island in the eastern Solomons and triggered warnings of a more widespread tsunami that was later lifted.

A major 8.0 magnitude earthquake jolted the Solomon Islands Wednesday with small tsunami waves buffeting Pacific coastlines, leaving at least five people dead and dozens of homes damaged or destroyed.

A quake-generated wave of just under one meter (three feet) reached parts of the Solomons, and Vanuatu and New Caledonia also reported rising sea levels, before a region-wide tsunami alert was lifted.

A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean late Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The tremor, which was just 22 kilometers deep, had its epicenter on the south coast of the island of Guadalcanal, 39 kilometers southwest of the capital Honiara.

A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Solomon Islands Tuesday but there was no threat of a widespread destructive tsunami and no reports of damage, U.S. seismologists said.

The quake hit at 7:19 pm local time (08:19 GMT), 176 kilometers southeast of the capital Honiara at a depth of 54 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake Monday struck the Santa Cruz islands, part of the Pacific's Solomons group, the USGS said, but there was no threat of a widespread tsunami, according to officials.

The quake hit at a depth of 38 kilometers (23 miles) at about 3:00 pm (0400 GMT) some 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of Kirakira, the main city of the Solomons' major island, Makira.