Undersea earthquakes caused panic in the South Pacific today, sending islanders fleeing to higher ground on fears of a second devastating tsunami in as many weeks, but a series of waves proved to be tiny and harmless.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for the entire southwest Pacific, which included island resorts and Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, after the quakes struck beneath the seas between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
Hawaii and the Philippines were placed on tsunami watch.
The Centre cancelled its warning after three tsunamis, measuring up to 10cm, were recorded in Vanuatu.
But with memories fresh of a tsunami last week that killed some 150 people in American Samoa and Samoa, many islanders panicked when the quake hit and tsunami warnings were issued.
A reporter at Vanuatu's Daily Postnewspaper said people on Espiritu Santo island were running for higher ground. "We have had reports that the kids are running into the hills," she said.
The tsunami warning centre issued its warning after two subsea quakes, one measuring 7.8 magnitude and the other 7.3.
"Sea-level readings indicate a tsunami was generated," said the centre.
"The wave may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre."
Islands near the epicentre are remote and sparsely populated, with communications difficult.
Moments before the quakes, a magnitude 6.7 tremor struck southeast of the Sulu archipelago of the Philippines, which is still mopping up from a typhoon that killed at least 22 people.
Indonesia's port city Padang was hit by a 7.6 magnitude quake last week, killing 704 people and leaving 295 missing, but the health minister said the toll could reach 3,000.
Reuters