American Samoa hit by Tsunami

An earthquake triggered a small scale tsunami in American Samoa around dawn Tuesday, approximately 12:48pm EST.

Residents fled for higher ground and at least one village (Sau Sau Beach Fale) was “leveled,” although there were no immediate reports of fatalities. The earthquake, which the USGS reports occurred 120 miles offshore and 20 miles underwater, caused shaking that reportedly lasted three minutes. Shortly thereafter, a tsunami swept through Pago Pago, reaching about 300 feet inland.

Local media reports say that while some homes and vehicles were affected by the quake, there were no reports of serious injury or deaths. In Honolulu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island.

[Source: AP]