Hawaii quake caused more than US$40 million damage

HONOLULU - Last Monday's 6.7 magnitude Hawaiian earthquake, the most powerful in the Pacific archipelago in two decades, caused more than US$40 million ($60.44 million) in damage, according to preliminary estimates on Tuesday.

Hawaiian officials said they expected the figure to rise as Red Cross, federal emergency teams and engineers scour the islands to assess damages to roads, bridges, schools and other buildings.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported in the quake but repeated aftershocks have jolted Hawaiians as they struggle to return to normal. The biggest -- a 4.0 magnitude temblor -- hit the islanders early this morning.

Vindell Hsu, a geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, said the aftershocks were not strong enough to generate a tsunami.

Hawaii's Big Island, a major tourist attraction, bore the brunt of the damage. Seven schools were badly hit and the port of Kawaihae was closed.

The island's historic Hulihee Palace was also badly hit, said Troy Kindred, Hawaii County civil defence administrator.

The two-story palace houses artifacts dating to the days before Western contact.

- REUTERS