An increase of about 1.5 meters in sea level was recorded in Apia, the capital of Samoa, and in Pago Pago in American Samoa. As of this morning (Wednesday) there are about a hundred dead.
30/9/09 update 08:00 As of now there are about sixty dead in Samoa and another thirty in American Samoa. Another tsunami warning was issued this morning.
29/9/09 update time 21:00
A strong earthquake struck near the islands of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean, which also raised fears of a tsunami on the coasts of several islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center estimates the magnitude of the earthquake at 8.3 on the Richter scale, not 7.9 as previously determined by the US Geological Survey. Increases of about 1.5 meters in sea level were recorded in Apia, Birthal Samoa and Pago Pago in American Samoa. No injuries were reported, but buildings were flooded in the coastal areas.
The earthquake occurred at 17:48 GMT (19:48 Israel time) at a depth of 33 km and at a distance of about 190 km from Apia.
According to the preliminary data now known, a tsunami with the potential to destroy areas far from the center may be generated. The France 24 television station reports that the immediate tsunami warning is valid for a distance of a thousand kilometers from the epicenter - mainly in the islands of Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. A request for increased vigilance was also given in Hawaii and New Guinea, and to a lesser extent also on the West Coast of the USA. As you may recall, in December 2004, tsunami waves as a result of a strong earthquake in Indonesia hit all the coasts of the Indian Ocean from Indonesia and Thailand in the east to Somalia in the west and along the way also hit many beaches in India and Sri Lanka .The current earthquake is much weaker than that of 2004, so there is no fear of widespread spread.
American Samoa, which is a US territory for all intents and purposes, has a population of about 250 thousand inhabitants.
On the same topic on the science website:
