At least 14 killed in American Samoa from quake, tsunami: local radio

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed after a strong earthquake struck off the U.S. Pacific island of American Samoa on Tuesday, local radio KSBS-FM reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor, occurring at 10:48 a.m. Pacific Time (1748 GMT), was measured at 8.0 on the Richter Scale and its epicenter was located 195 km southwest of the Samoa coast, with a depth of 18 km.

The temblor generated a nearly 3-meter tsunami -- measured from crest to trough -- according to preliminary data, said Chip McCreery, the director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.

Pago Pago in American Samoa was hit by the tsunami as sea waters overflowed inlands and trapped vehicles and houses in mud, prompting residents to flee to high grounds.

Following the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for a vast area of the Pacific Ocean, including American Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand. A tsunami watch was issued for Vanuatu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Kosrae Island, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii. However, the center canceled the tsunami watch for Hawaii after a data review.

"Based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of Hawaii," the center said in a bulletin.