HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) - A powerful earthquake struck in the South Pacific Monday off the Solomon Islands, triggering a tsunami several yards high that destroyed a village and left at least four people missing, officials and residents said.Judith Kennedy, a resident of the western town of Gizo, said water ``right up to your head'' swept through the town. ``All the houses near the sea were flattened,'' she told The Associated Press by telephone. ``The downtown area is a very big mess from the tsunami and the earthquake,'' she added. ``A lot of houses have collapsed. The whole town is still shaking'' from aftershocks.
Harry Wickham, who owns a waterfront hotel in the town, said the damage was widespread. ``The waves came up probably about 10 feet and swept through town,'' he told Australia's Nine Network television by telephone. ``There's a lot of water damage and a lot of debris floating around,'' he added. ``Ten feet of water washing through town - you can imagine what damage it has done here.''
The magnitude-8.0 quake triggered tsunami warnings throughout the South Pacific and as far north as Hawaii, though officials canceled the alert after the danger period passed.