Aid, temporary morgue headed to tsunami-hit Samoas
Following an undersea magnitude eight earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Samoa, disaster teams have been bringing in food, medicine and even a temporary morgue. The tsunami destroyed villages, swept people out to sea and killed at least 100. Four waves four to six meters tall roared ashore on American Samoa after the quake, reaching 1.5 kilometres inland. The quake was centred nearly 200 kilometres miles south of Samoa, population 220,000, and American Samoa, population 65,000. "We're focused on bringing in the assistance for people that have been injured, and for the immediate needs of the tens of thousands of survivors”, said US Federal Emergency Management Agency head Craig Fugate. NZ’s acting PM Bill English said tents, stretchers, temporary morgue facilities and a body identification team were sent to Samoa. Another underwater earthquake rocked western Indonesia less than 24 hours after the Samoan quake, briefly triggering a tsunami alert for countries along the Indian Ocean. This 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings in the city of Padang, cut power and killed at least 75 people. Experts said the seismic events were not related.
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