Five people are dead after a major earthquake off the Solomon Islands created a tsunami. The 8.0 magnitude quake happened around 12:30 p.m. local time.

The five dead are four elderly people and one child. However, the director of nursing for Lata hospital said the death toll could very likely rise after assessing the final impact.

“It’s very likely that other villages along the coast of Santa Cruz may be affected,” Augustine Pilve told New Zealand television.

Waves from the tsunami traveled 1/3 of a mile inland impacting at least three villages. Houses in the area have been described as “semi-permanent” and were completely wiped out by the waves. Local police have been securing the area and the local airfield so relief supplies can be flown in. Tsunami waves have reportedly reached as far as the airfield’s terminal building.

Authorities say that because communications with the islands was difficult they could not estimate total damage.

Aftershocks as strong as 6.6 have been coming in the wake of the major quake. The Solomon Islands are located directly on the Pacific Ring Of Fire. An 8.1 quake in the same area in 2007 triggered a tsunami that killed 52 people and left thousands homeless.