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Australia closes some beaches after a tsunami warning
Australian authorities closed some beaches to the public on Monday after a tsunami warning was issued following a huge undersea earthquake in Solomon Islands.
Australian authorities on Monday closed some beaches to the public after a tsunami warning was issued following a huge undersea earthquake in Solomon Islands.
An 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Islands, generating a tsunami threat that resulted in the closure of beaches along the eastern seaboard in Queensland and New South Wales.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the threat to Queensland has passed.
A Surf Life Saving Queensland spokesman said while beaches in north and central Queensland, Wide Bay, Stradbroke Island and the Gold Coast had reopened, lifesavers were continuing to monitor tidal movements.
The spokesman said the Australian Lifeguard Service was working with emergency services crews and local councils to monitor the situation.
It is the first time that beaches in the two states Queensland and New South Wales - had been simultaneously closed.
Lifeguards at Sydney's Bondi beach asked people to vacate the area following the tsunami warning.
