The death toll rose to at least nine as more bodies were found in wrecked homes and debris in the Solomon Islands after an earthquake and tsunami devastated villages on Wednesday. Another quake struck on Friday morning local time.
According to the Associated Press, the victims, including a child, were killed when a powerful earthquake set off a small tsunami that sent five-foot waves slamming into Santa Cruz Island, in the eastern Solomons, on Wednesday. Around 100 homes across five villages were damaged or destroyed.
The waves proved deadly for five elderly villagers and a child, who weren't fast enough to outrun the rushing water, said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. Three more bodies were found Thursday, but Herming said details of how those victims died were not immediately available.
Disaster officials were en route to the isolated area Thursday after the local airport, which was flooded by the tsunami, was finally cleared of debris.
Another jolt that registered a magnitude of 6.7 hit Santa Cruz at 5:59 a.m. Friday, according to the Geosciences Australia agency based in Sydney. No tsunami alert was issued. There were no immediate reports of further damage or casualties.
The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. They lie on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.