Flooding in the South Pacific nation of Solomons Islands has killed eight people, left another eight missing, washed away bridges and destroyed houses, officials said on Monday. Since December, flooding has also hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, with tens of thousands of islanders abandoning homes, Reuters reported. Heavy rain and flooding on the Solomons' main island of Guadalcanal and nearby Savo Island since last Thursday has caused widespread damage and forced the evacuation of more than 70 villagers to the capital Honiara, said officials in Honiara. Six teams in boats have been sent to the flooded areas to assess the damage and begin aid relief, Solomons National Disaster Management spokesman Julian Makaa said in a statement. "The forecast is for more rain as there is a low trough to the south of the country," he said.
