Blog14_Earthquake in South Pacific triggers deadly Tsunami

A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa and triggered a tsunami that destroyed villages and killed and injured almost 100 people.

The earthquake took place on Tuesday (17:48 GMT) between the two island groups, generating waves of up to 15ft (4.5m).The exact number of casualty is still unknown but the Samoan authority believes that casualty will rise as more injured people arrive from coastal areas.

The Samoa islands consist of two separate entities – the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory, with a total population of about 250 000 people.

Eni Faleomavaega, who represents American Samoa in the US told BBC that the disaster had caused severe damage to property.

“Some of the areas here are only a few feet above sea level, so you can imagine the devastation.” he said. “The waves had literally wiped out all the low-lying areas in the Samoan islands.”

Similar to the disaster in 2004 that happened in Asia, this tsunami had hit the islands within a few minutes of the earthquake, leaving no time for effective warnings or escapes.

“It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out,” New Zealander Graeme Ansell told the New Zealand National Radio from a hill near Samoa’s capital, Apia. “There’s not a building standing.” He said.

Among the dead, several of them are believed to be foreign tourists.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an alert from American Samoa to numerous islands in the Pacific, including the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island.

To watch an i-Reporter's video clip of the aftermath, click on the snapshot or here. For more pictures, click here