A series of strong earthquakes caused panic in the South Pacific today just over a week after a massive tsunami killed 178 people in the Samoas and Tonga. Today's tremors sent thousands of islanders fleeing from coastlines, but they only triggered a small tsunami that appears to have caused no major damage. The strongest of the tremors had a magnitude of 7.8 and was centres 183 miles north-west of the Vanuatu island of Santo. It was quickly followed by two more tremors measuring 7.7 and 7.3 on the Richter scale.