TOKYO, April 2 (Reuters) - About 60 buildings may have collapsed in the Solomon Islands after a powerful earthquake struck the region on Monday morning, Kyodo news agency quoted a local official as saying.

"There has been serious damage mainly around western Gizo and it seems that about 60 buildings have collapsed," Kyodo quoted an official for the Solomon Islands government as saying.

A tsunami warning was also issued for other Pacific rim countries, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia, after the shallow quake, which had a magnitude of at least 8.0.

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