13 confirmed dead in Solomon Islands tsunami

Thirteen people have died following a tsunami off a remote Solomon Islands town today.

Thousands of survivors huddled on a hilltop refuge as terrifying aftershocks rumbled beneath them and bodies were left unrecovered in waters off Gizo and surrounding villages hours later.

The death toll was expected to rise, officials said.

The surging waters that ploughed through the area this morning were triggered by a massive sub-sea earthquake that set off tsunami alarms from Tokyo to Hawaii and that closed beaches more than 1,250 miles away.

In the Solomons, up to 4,000 people were encamped tonight on a hill behind Gizo, a town of about 7,000, said Alex Lokopio, premier of Western Province that was hardest hit.

A wall of water up to 16 feet high ploughed into the coast, inundating homes, businesses, a hospital, schools and two police stations, and dumping boats into streets in Gizo, witnesses and officials said.

The Solomon Islands Red Cross reported that around 10% of the population in Gizo may have been left homeless, with initial reports from other islands suggesting similar or worse levels of damage.

Phone and electricity lines were heavily damaged, and roads were inaccessible, it said.