Medical staff at Lata hospital said five people had been killed - four elderly people and one young boy.

BBC: Quake off Solomon Islands triggers deadly tsunami

He told the Associated Press that Lata was "like a ghost town" and that the recent aftershocks had left people "very concerned".

BBC: Aftershocks hit Solomon Islands relief work

Lata is the main town on Santa Cruz, also known as Nendo.

BBC: Quake off Solomon Islands triggers deadly tsunami

Among the affected areas was the provincial capital of Lata, a city of about 2, 300 in Temotu Province where hospital patients were evacuated to higher ground.

WSJ: Tsunami Destroys Villages in Solomon Islands

Christian aid organization World Vision, which is active in the affected region, said at least 100 homes had been destroyed in Lata and that power outages were widespread.

WSJ: Tsunami Destroys Villages in Solomon Islands

An earlier aftershock damaged roads in Lata, a town on the Santa Cruz Island in the far east of the Pacific nation, which was badly hit by the waves.

BBC: Aftershocks hit Solomon Islands relief work

Robert Iroga, press secretary to the Solomons prime minister, told the BBC that the waves west of Lata had travelled some 500m inland, and that three villages had been damaged.

BBC: Quake off Solomon Islands triggers deadly tsunami

Uaisele regained the lead for Tonga following great work from Tevita Leo-Lata and Epalahame Lauaki in the build-up, but Blanch responded with a classic winger's try in the corner after picking up Liam Finn's kick.

BBC: Tonga 22-20 Ireland

Loti Yates, director of the national disaster management office in the Solomon capital Honiara, that the airport in Lata had been damaged by the tsunami and that logs and debris which had washed into the area by the wave were blocking the runway.

WSJ: Tsunami Destroys Villages in Solomon Islands