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Powerful Pacific earthquake triggers killer tsunami

At least 19 people have reportedly been killed in a tsunami that hit the South Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa.

And a number of Australians have been injured, the federal government said.

"The early reports don't suggest that any of them are very serious, but they are in hospital,'' parliamentary secretary for international development assistance Bob McMullan told Sky News.
All of them have been able to contact their own families directly and none of them have said to the high commission they need any special extra assistance.''

Mr McMullan said the government had offered assistance to the injured Australians.


Radio KSBS-FM in American Samoa reported at least 14 people had been killed there, while an entire village in Samoa was reportedly flattened by waves.

At least five people had been killed in Samoa, the New Zealand deputy high commissioner to Apia, David Dolphin, said.
The tsunami generated waves of six to eight metres in height on Samoa's southern coast, Mr Dolphin said.

"There are reports of some quite serious damage, at least five fatalities and quite a few reports of people missing,'' he said from the island's north coast.

And a number of Australians have been injured, the federal government said.

"The early reports don't suggest that any of them are very serious, but they are in hospital,'' parliamentary secretary for international development assistance Bob McMullan told Sky News.


"All of them have been able to contact their own families directly and none of them have said to the high commission they need any special extra assistance.''

Mr McMullan said the government had offered assistance to the injured Australians.


Radio KSBS-FM in American Samoa reported at least 14 people had been killed there, while an entire village in Samoa was reportedly flattened by waves.

At least five people had been killed in Samoa, the New Zealand deputy high commissioner to Apia, David Dolphin, said.

"There are reports of some quite serious damage, at least five fatalities and quite a few reports of people missing,'' he said from the island's north coast.

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Anyone concerned about the welfare of family and friends are being urged to contact the department of foreign affairs emergency hotline on 1300 555 135.


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The tsunami was triggered by an earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale that struck midway between the two island groups of Samoa and American Samoa at 3.48am AEST today (6.48am local time Tuesday).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre earlier said waves 1.57 metres tall hit American Samoa, while 0.7 metre waves were recorded in Samoa.

The island groups have a total population of about 250,000.

At least one village in American Samoa was flattened and reports coming out of Samoa said at least five people had died and more than 50 had been injured.

Russell Hunter, editor of the Samoa Observer, said at least five people died in a beach village "devastated" by large waves after the powerful quake.

Mr Hunter said a journalist had reported the fatalities in the village of Fautasi, near the capital Apia, and the toll could be "in the hundreds".

Many Samoans were fleeing for higher ground, he said. The deaths were caused by the waves, not the powerful earthquake, Mr Hunter said.

Holly Bundock, spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Pacific West Region in Oakland, California, quoted Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, as saying there had been some deaths.

Samoan police also said the tsunami had caused an unknown number of deaths there, the ABC reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake had been recorded at a depth of 33 kilometres.

"It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre and could also be a threat to more distant coasts. Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility,'' a statement said.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat to Australia.

Village flattened

New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the Samoan beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was levelled.

"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia.

"There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here."

A tsunami swept into Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa, shortly after the earthquake, sending sea water surging inland about 100 metres before receding, leaving some cars stuck in mud.

The staff of the port ran to higher ground, and police soon came by, telling residents to get inland.

In Fagatogo, water reached the waterfront town's meeting field and covered portions of the main highway, which also was plagued by rock slides.

In Samoa, the powerful quake jolted people awake.

"It was pretty strong; it was long and lasted at least two minutes," one resident told local radio.

"It's the strongest I have felt, and we ran outside. You could see all the trees and houses were shaking," he said.

Sulili Dusi told New Zealand's National Radio that "everything dropped on the floor and we thought the house was going to go down as well. Thank God, it didn't". Along with neighbors, they fled to high ground.

She said the tsunami hit the south side of the island, and some "cars have been taken". She did not elaborate, but added "we just thank God no life has been taken yet".

Another resident, Dean Phillips, said the southern coast of Upolu island had been struck by the tsunami.

"The police are sending everybody up to high ground," he said.

Local media said they had reports of some landslides in the Solosolo region of the main Samoan island of Upolu and damage to plantations in the countryside outside Apia.

There were no immediate reports of injury or serious damage from local emergency services, but people reported cracks in some homes and items tossed from shelves.

In its preliminary earthquake report, the US Geological Survey put the epicentre 204 kilometres south-southwest of Samoa's capital Apia and at a depth of 85 kilometres.

The tsunami warning was also in effect for American Samoa, Samoa, Niue Island, the Wallis and Futuna Islands, the Tokelau atolls, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Kermadec Islands, the Baker and Howland Islands, Jarvis Island, French Polynesia and the Palmyra Islands.

A tsunami watch was issued for Vanuatu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Kosrae Island, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Pohnpei in Micronesia, the Wake Islands, Pitcairn and the Midway Islands.

The USGS said the region was struck by a 5.6 magnitude quake around 20 minutes after the first.

Georgina Robinson, Thomas Hunter and agencies

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