A series of major earthquakes that rocked the South Pacific today occasioned a tsunami which crashed into the Solomon Islands laying waste to at least one village.

It was initiated by three powerful quakes, one measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale, which started over the weekend and carried on into Monday.

The tremors were centered beneath the ocean floor near the town of Gizo, which was badly damaged in April 2007 when a 8.1-magnitude quake sent a tsunami crashing into the coast, killing more than 50 people.

While no reports of casualties have been received as yet reports of the devastation caused by the tsunami are starting to arrive at the Solomon Island's National Disaster Management Office. This will bring back memories of the horrendous tsunami which devastated Thailand and the region 5 years ago.

The main damage here appears to have been done to a village of some three-and-a-half thousand residents on Rendova Island, some 300 kilometers from the capital Honiara. In Baniata, the village concerned, 16 houses were destroyed and 32 damaged by the quake and the wave.

"One report from police was that one village was hit by a 6 to 10 foot (2-3 meter) wall of sea water".

With communications as they are in the region reports of casualties may be delayed. A number of other villages are involved so it may be awhile before the true scale of the disaster is known.

Sapa-RS