Tsunami watch canceled in Hawaii after South Pacific earthquake

A magnitude-7.8 earthquake near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean triggered tsunami watches for several Pacific islands on Thursday.

A tsunami watch for Hawaii issued earlier has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

​The earthquake was centered about 40 miles west-southwest of Kirakira in the Solomon Islands at a depth of about 30 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Hazardous tsunami waves were possible in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and French Polynesia, the warning center said.