Fresh quake hits shattered Solomon Islands

GIZO, SOLOMON ISLANDS: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday violently shook areas of the Solomons Islands that were devastated by an 8.0 quake and subsequent tsunami that killed at least 30 people.

The latest quake came at 5.34 pm just hours after a 6.0 magnitude aftershock rattled the same area of the western provinces of the disaster-struck archipelago and terrified its residents.

The shattered coastal town of Gizo, where more than 2,000 people are sleeping out after Monday's catastrophe, was subjected to sustained shaking lasting for at least 30 seconds, a correspondent said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck just 53 kilometers (33 miles) northwest of Gizo, which lies just 45 kilometers away from the epicentre of Monday's huge quake.

People in buildings in the badly damaged town emerged quickly to see if there was any sign of a tsunami at sea, but no wave materialised.

The area has been shaken by repeated aftershocks measuring up to 6.7 for the past two days, including a shallow 6.0 quake that hit 139 kilometers (86 miles) northwest of Gizo at 11.39 am (0039 GMT), the US Geological Survey said.

That quake was just 10 kilometers (six miles) below the seabed, but no tsunami warning was generated.