At least 31 people were killed in American Samoa after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake triggered waves which pounded into American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga causing widespread destruction.

The regional death toll was at least 148 and was expected to rise as survivors and authorities account for the many missing in nearby Samoa.

"We had 27 deaths confirmed this morning and now we have 31 and we still have people out on search and rescue missions," homeland security spokeswoman Betty Ahsoon told AFP in American Samoa.

A further 2,500 people were being housed in relief shelters.

Pago Pago, the heart of American Samoa, bore the brunt of the tsunami with most shops and groundfloor businesses destroyed, and looters were taking advantage of the chaos, she said.

"Looting is a problem as a lot of stores and merchants have been destroyed. We have limited people to police the area as our first responders, including the police, are out assisting people affected."

Fili Sagapolutele, the Radio New Zealand correspondent in American Samoa, was appalled by the looting she saw.

"I also witnessed looting in one of the stores and that is a very terrible thing to happen at this time."

Aufage Fausia, a journalist on the local Samoa News paper, told AFP about 90 percent of the shops in Pago Pago were damaged.

The looters were targetting liquor and cigarettes and other items they could on-sell but Fausia said the people he saw "were mainly taking food, frozen chickens and things like that."

With limited security personnel available to police the town the health department attempted to curb the situation by warning that eating defrosted food taken from broken refrigerators could be hazardous.

Ahsoon said the priority of emergency personnel, in addition to recovering bodies and searching for survivors, was to restore supplies of clean drinking water and electricity to the eastern districts.

Fausia said they had been warned it could take three weeks before electricity connections are fully restored.

A relief flight arrived in Pago Pago early Wednesday and emergency supplies and personnel were immediately dispatched to the worst-hit areas.

The aircraft was also reported to be carrying temporary morgue facilities as the main hospital had run out of space.

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared a major disaster in the remote US outpost, offered his personal sympathies, and promised a "swift and aggressive" government response.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) earlier said it was dispatching two disaster recovery teams to affected areas to assess the extent of the damage.

earlier related report
Tsunami victims may face wait for aid, rescue workers warn
International aid agencies scrambled to send relief to the tsunami-devastated Samoan islands Wednesday but warned desperate survivors in the worst-hit areas may have to wait days for help.

Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the European Union all vowed support as the death toll climbed to 148, while US President Barack Obama promised a "swift and aggressive" response.

Aid agency Caritas Australia said some remote areas could not be reached because they were considered too dangerous as aftershocks continue to rock the region.

"Most of the areas have been able to be accessed, but not all, and that will probably still take well into the weekend until every area has been accessed," chief executive Jack De Groot said.

A police officer at Lalomanu, which was swept away by the deadly surge, said officers had practiced tsunami drills after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster but nothing had prepared them for the overwhelming scale of destruction.

The UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) said the scene on the ground may appear chaotic but the foundations were being laid to ensure the international aid got to those most in need.

"The first 24 hours of any disaster is always a bit chaotic because of communications breakdowns and so on," OCHA's Bangkok-based Asia-Pacific regional chief Terje Skavdal told AFP.

"But we shouldn't forget that chaos can also deliver, and what's being seen as chaos is basically people taking action."

Meanwhile, villagers were salvaging wreckage from their ruined homes for makeshift accommodation.

"We are pulling out whatever can be saved," said Meleisea Sa as he worked with neighbours to retrieve parts of the roof of his home from a tree.

"Hopefully from the (wreckage) there will be enough to make a temporary house, to sleep family and to use as shelter for now."

An Australian plane loaded with doctors and disaster management experts touched down in Samoa Wednesday, with three air force planes carrying medical staff and supplies due to arrive in the next 24 hours.

Australia said its initial disaster relief package of about two million dollars (1.76 million US) would also include relief items such as tents, tarpaulins, blankets, mosquito nets and water containers.

"Given the scale of the disaster, these things are now falling into their proper coordinated role," Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told commercial radio.

New Zealand pledged one million dollars (720,000 US) in aid to Samoa and Tonga, about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) across the Pacific, where seven died when the tsunami struck.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully said New Zealand disaster relief supplies and personnel began arriving in Samoa on Wednesday and more help was on the way.

"It is clear there is going to be considerable recovery and reconstruction needs, and we are committed to offering substantial assistance," he said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "shocked and saddened" at the devastation.

"We stand ready to help in any way we can," he added.

The EU said it had earmarked an initial 150,000 euros (220,000 US) for Samoa and pledged to contribute "a considerable amount" to disaster relief.

In Washington, Obama declared a major disaster in American Samoa, which frees up funds for temporary housing, clean-up, repairs, unemployment aid and temporary loans.

"I am closely monitoring these tragic events, and have declared a major disaster for American Samoa, which will provide the tools necessary for a full, swift and aggressive response," Obama said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) earlier said it was dispatching two disaster recovery teams to affected areas to assess the extent of the damage.

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