At least 5 killed as South Pacific quake triggers 3-foot tsunami
(Graphic: msnbc)
At least five people have been killed after a strong earthquake in the South Pacific generated a 3-foot tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and local news reports.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake — with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 — struck Wednesday in the Santa Cruz Islands at a depth of about 3 miles. The Santa Cruz Islands are scarcely populated and are part of the Solomon Islands.
USGS: Major earthquake hits Costa Rica, tsunami warning issued
(Photo: United States Geological Survey)
Updated at 12:17 p.m. ET: A major earthquake hit northwestern Costa Rica on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The quake — initially given a magnitude of 7.9 but then revised to 7.6 — struck at 10:42 a.m. ET at a depth of about 25 miles and about seven miles southeast of Nicoya, a town of some 15,000 people on a coastal area on the Pacific about 90 miles from the capital San Jose.
Source: worldnews.nbcnews.com
