BEIJING, April 3 -- At least 13 people are dead and many more missing after a tsunami in the South Pacific swallowed entire villages in the Solomon Islands.

    An undersea quake 350 kilometers northwest of Honiara sparked the deadly waves and set off tsunami alerts around the Pacific.

    Thousands of survivors huddled on a hilltop refuge as aftershocks continued to rumble beneath them. Bodies were still left lying in waters off a remote Solomon Islands town hours after the deadly tsunami struck on Monday.

    The Solomons' National Disaster Council says it believes several villages were wiped out, adding that poor communications are hampering efforts to discover the full extent of the disaster.

    Meanwhile, communications are also down after waves and tremors destroyed telephone lines, and cut off power... disabling mobile telecommunications.

    Relief agency, World Vision, says it will need more time to bring aid to victims, with sea-travel being the only means of transportation to the Islands.

    The local government has sent a patrol boat to the New Georgia island group, and called on ships and boats in the local area to help where they can.

    Manasseh Sogavare, Prime Minister, Solomon Islands, said, "The government also, through the disaster management council and other agencies have also arranged for the immediate dispatching of tents, food and drinking water to our people"

    The Solomon Islands is a group of more than 200 islands lying on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common occurrences.

    (Source: China Daily)