Tsunami hits American Samoa 17 Deaths Reported
Posted by | Posted in News And Society | Posted on 29-09-2009
At least 17 deaths were confirmed, said Dr. Salamo Laumoli, director of health services of American Samoa.
“Two or three villages have been badly damaged,” he told CNN International.
An American Samoa homeland security official working at the island’s emergency operations center told CNN that the death toll is expected to rise to at least 20.
The tsunami wave hit right in the middle of the harbor of Pogo Pogo, the capital, Cinta Brown said.
Water damage and infrastructure damage was reported throughout the island, she said.
The village of Leone was “sadly devastated,” Brown said. “The wave came onshore and washed out people’s homes.”
The same happened on the hard-hit east and west sides of American Samoa, she said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, canceled tsunami watches and warnings about four hours after the earthquake hit.
