Thousands of people in the town of Gizo in the South Pacific country's far west spent the evening of April 2 sleeping under tarpaulins or the stars on a hill behind the town following a massive undersea earthquake that sent tsunami waves crashing through the town.

At least 30 people were killed in the Solomons and another five deaths were reported in neighboring Papua New Guinea. Officials said the toll was likely to rise further.

The April 2 quake was initially measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.6, but the magnitude was later raised to 8.1.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 7, 2007
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