UNITED NATIONS, April 2 (UPI) -- The U.N. Children's Fund will provide emergency medical supplies to the Solomon Islands in response to the tsunami that hit the region Monday.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "deeply concerned by the potential consequences of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea," his spokeswoman said.
An earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale hit 214 miles northwest of the Solomon Island's capital, Honiara, and caused a tsunami.
UNICEF positioned medical supplies for up to 10,000 people in this Pacific islands chain, including 10 emergency kits with basic medical equipment, five "school in a box" kits, which contain classroom supplies for up to 80 students, and three recreation kits filled with play materials.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has a team ready to deploy to the Solomon Islands and has offered assistance to the government, said Ban's spokeswoman, Michele Montas.
The U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination team issued an alert Monday, and a team is ready to deploy upon request of the Solomon Islands' government.
More than a dozen people died on the islands, reports said, but the death toll was expected to rise. Some villages have been completely wiped out, OCHA said.
The U.N. office in Honiara has been evacuated except for essential staff, UNICEF reported.
The NGO Oxfam reported more than 500 houses were damaged in the town of Gizo and surrounding villages, an area located 28 miles from the earthquake's epicenter.
