How large was the earthquake that caused the Samoa Tsunami?
A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around dawn today, sending terrified residents fleeing for higher ground as a tsunami swept ashore, flattening at least one village. There were no immediate reports of fatalities. The quake hit at 6.48am local time midway between the two island groups. In Apia, families reported shaking that lasted for up to three minutes. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 20 miles (35 km) below the ocean floor, 120 miles from American Samoa and 125 miles from Samoa. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii issued a general alert for the South Pacific region, from American Samoa to New Zealand. It said there were indications a tsunami wave could be “destructive” along some coastlines. The centre issued a tsunami warning for numerous islands in the Pacific, including the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island. A tsunami watch was iss
AT least five people are dead and villages flattened as tsunami waves up to 5m high smashed Samoa after a magnitide 8.3 earthquake hit this morning. There have been reports of a small wave hitting Tolaga Bay on New Zealand’s East Coast after the magnitude 8.3 quake struck about 200km off Samoa at 3.48am, Australian eastern standard time. There was no threat to Australia this morning. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister says five people have died and others have been swept out to sea by the tsunami and are still unaccounted for. The quake lasted as long as a minute-and-a-half, the spokesman for the national disaster office of Samoa said, and people in the capital Apia were continuing to experience aftershocks. An official of the U.S. National Park Service said there had been deaths in American Samoa, but there was no word on how many. Similarly, a police spokeswoman in Western Samoa said the tsunami had killed an unknown number of people there. “I can confirm there
A powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific off the Samoa islands region generated a tsunami and waves of more than 5ft, U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday. An official of the US National Park Service said there had been deaths in American Samoa, but there was no word on how many people had died. A tsunami was observed at Apia, Western Samoa, and at Pago Pago, American Samoa, according to the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, a branch of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sources: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/61f8c060-ad33-11de-9caf-00144feabdc0.
A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around dawn today, sending terrified residents fleeing for higher ground as a tsunami swept ashore, flattening at least one village. There were no immediate reports of fatalities. The quake hit at 6.48am local time midway between the two island groups. In Apia, families reported shaking that lasted for up to three minutes. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 20 miles (35 km) below the ocean floor, 120 miles from American Samoa and 125 miles from Samoa. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii issued a general alert for the South Pacific region, from American Samoa to New Zealand. It said there were indications a tsunami wave could be “destructive” along some coastlines. The centre issued a tsunami warning for numerous islands in the Pacific, including the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island. A tsunami watch was iss
AT least five people are dead and villages flattened as tsunami waves up to 5m high smashed Samoa after a magnitide 8.3 earthquake hit this morning. There have been reports of a small wave hitting Tolaga Bay on New Zealand’s East Coast after the magnitude 8.3 quake struck about 200km off Samoa at 3.48am, Australian eastern standard time. There was no threat to Australia this morning. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister says five people have died and others have been swept out to sea by the tsunami and are still unaccounted for. The quake lasted as long as a minute-and-a-half, the spokesman for the national disaster office of Samoa said, and people in the capital Apia were continuing to experience aftershocks. An official of the U.S. National Park Service said there had been deaths in American Samoa, but there was no word on how many. Similarly, a police spokeswoman in Western Samoa said the tsunami had killed an unknown number of people there. “I can confirm there
