Quake hits Solomon Islands

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A 6.6 magnitude undersea earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands on Tuesday, but residents said there was only a short tremor and no damage.

"We had a tremor for about 20 seconds," said Australian Alan Giles from Kirakira, a town in the Solomons.

"There is no damage from what we can see. The police station is on the beach and operates 24 hours and we haven't heard anything from them," Giles told Reuters by telephone.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which hit at 11:50 a.m. British time, was centred 43 miles (69 km) southeast of Kirakira, in the southeast of the Solomons, at a depth of 25.8 miles (41.5 km).

There was no significant threat of a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

The Solomon Islands is frequently jolted by earthquakes as it lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes, and in April was hit by a tsunami caused by an undersea quake which killed dozens and smashed villages.

(Reporting by Michael Perry, editing by Sanjeev Miglani)