Small earthquake hits American Samoa on first anniversary of deadly quake and tsunami
By APWednesday, September 29, 2010
Quake hits American Samoa on tsunami anniversary
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A small earthquake struck American Samoa as a memorial service was being held to mark the first anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami that killed 34 people in the U.S. territory.
There were no reports of injuries or damage, and the service went on without interruption.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu says Wednesday’s 5.4-magnitude quake was too weak to generate a tsunami.
A geophysicist at the center, Victor Sardina, says the quake was centered 136 miles southwest of American Samoa’s capital, Pago Pago.
On Sept. 29, 2009, a magnitude-8.0 earthquake generated tsunamis of up to 40 feet that swept through the region, killing 194 people, including 34 in American Samoa.
