By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A massive undersea earthquake sent a tsunami crashing into the South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands on Monday, destroying a one town and killing at least three people, officials said.
The Pacific region, from Australia to Hawaii, went on high alert for several hours after the magnitude-8 quake struck between the islands of Bougainville and New Georgia, though officials downgraded warnings as the danger period passed.
Police and residents said a wave several meters high crashed ashore at Gizo, a regional center in the country's west just 40 kilometers from the temblor's epicenter, inundating buildings and causing widespread destruction.