Samoan islands - tsunami

At least 113 killed after tsunami lashes Samoa

Article published on the 2009-09-30 Latest update 2009-09-30 11:53 TU

A boat is stranded among wreckage after a tsunami hit the village of Si'umu in Samoa
(Photo: Reuters/Cynthia Luafalealo)

Towering tsunamis churned up by a powerful earthquake slammed into the Samoan islands on Tuesday, killing at least 113 people and wiping out entire villages.

Officials said waves of between three and 7.5 metres pounded the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and Western Samoa after an 8.0-magnitude undersea earthquake struck at 1748 universal time on Tuesday.

The quake toppled buildings and sent thousands fleeing to high ground as the tsunami approached, while others were hit by the walls of water that swept people and cars out to sea and obliterated coastal settlements.

The tsunamis swept across the Pacific, battering Samoa where hospital workers said it killed at least 84 people, American Samoa where 22 died, and Tonga, where at least seven were lost.

Tau-lata Maula, secretary-general of the Samoa Red Cross Society, told RFI that the evaculation response had been good in the capital of American Samoa, Apia, but the coastal areas were less fortunate.

"From north to south-east of the country has been severely hit. Most of our people live on the coast areas ... and from reports from our teams on the ground everything has been taken and washed away," she said.

"There are a lot of people still missing ... tomorrow our infrastructure people will be working to drain away the water so we are able to find more bodies."

US President Barack Obama called the incident in the outlying US territory of American Samoa a "major disaster" and vowed "aggressive" action to help survivors.

As Australia, New Zealand and the United States led with immediate pledges of assistance, scores more people were missing feared dead in the chaos and despair that the twin disaster left in its wake.

Two Koreans and two Australians are among the fatalities and Samoa’s acting Prime Minister said that a New Zealander had also died.