Scores dead and villages flattened in devastating Samoan tsunami!
APIA, Samoa - September 30, 2009 - Survivors of a deadly earthquake-triggered tsunami that hit the Samoan islands Tuesday have described how they watched the inrushing sea swallow up coastal towns and villages leaving devastation in its wake.
At least 111 people are confirmed killed in Samoa, neighboring American Samoa and Tonga. But officials in the Polynesia region have expressed fears the toll will rise as rescue workers struggle to reach outlying villages submerged and flattened by the wave.
American Samoa resident Frances Faumatu told CNN she had fled to Aoloau, the highest village on the island, as the earthquake shook her house.
"All of a sudden we heard on the radio everybody had to run for safety," she said. "Right after the quake, the tsunami came."
Faumatu and others stayed on the mountain for two or three hours until the warning was lifted, watching as the sea swallowed Pago Pago, the island's capital, and then receded.
At least 22 people are confirmed dead in the U.S. island territory. Cars, debris, and parts of buildings were randomly strewn over the landscape where the powerful waters dropped them.
But in some cases, the sea left nothing behind. "Other villages were taken to the ocean," Faumatu said.
"I can't even compare the image. It's one thing to see a photo or footage, but just to be there in person is pretty dramatic," Maneafaiga T. Lagafuaina told CNN Wednesday. "American Samoa itself is experiencing a great loss."
The 8.0-magnitude quake hit the small cluster of Samoan islands in the South Pacific early Tuesday.
In Samoa, the death toll stands at 82, according to government minister Maulolo Tavita. But he said he feared the number of causalities would continue to rise.
Around 220,000 people live on the two main islands that make up the nation of Samoa. The population of American Samoa is about 66,000.
At least 111 people are confirmed killed in Samoa, neighboring American Samoa and Tonga. But officials in the Polynesia region have expressed fears the toll will rise as rescue workers struggle to reach outlying villages submerged and flattened by the wave.
American Samoa resident Frances Faumatu told CNN she had fled to Aoloau, the highest village on the island, as the earthquake shook her house.
"All of a sudden we heard on the radio everybody had to run for safety," she said. "Right after the quake, the tsunami came."
Faumatu and others stayed on the mountain for two or three hours until the warning was lifted, watching as the sea swallowed Pago Pago, the island's capital, and then receded.
At least 22 people are confirmed dead in the U.S. island territory. Cars, debris, and parts of buildings were randomly strewn over the landscape where the powerful waters dropped them.
But in some cases, the sea left nothing behind. "Other villages were taken to the ocean," Faumatu said.
"I can't even compare the image. It's one thing to see a photo or footage, but just to be there in person is pretty dramatic," Maneafaiga T. Lagafuaina told CNN Wednesday. "American Samoa itself is experiencing a great loss."
The 8.0-magnitude quake hit the small cluster of Samoan islands in the South Pacific early Tuesday.
In Samoa, the death toll stands at 82, according to government minister Maulolo Tavita. But he said he feared the number of causalities would continue to rise.
Around 220,000 people live on the two main islands that make up the nation of Samoa. The population of American Samoa is about 66,000.
