Tsunami warning issued for South Pacific islands

Update:   A tsunami of .9 meters (3 feet) has been measured in the Solomon Islands after a strong earthquake in the South Pacific.  The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami was measured in Lata in the easternmost Solomon Islands. The region hasn't reported any immediate damage.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said sea level readings indicated a tsunami was generated that may be destructive near the epicenter.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 8.0-magnitude quake struck Wednesday 81 kilometers (50 miles) west of Lata, in the Solomon Islands, at a depth of 5.8 kilometers (3.6 miles.)

There were no immediate reports of damage. Josephine Mae, a police official in the Solomon's capital city of Honiara, said she had not felt any shaking and said police had received no reports of a tsunami being witnessed there.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami warning is in effect for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna. A tsunami watch is in effect for American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Indonesia.