29 Mar 2003

Strong earthquake shakes American Samoa

7:41 am on 29 March 2003

A major earthquake has rocked American Samoa.

Residents in Pago Pago say it was the strongest tremor felt in the territory for more than twenty years.

The quake measured 6 point 2 on the Richter scale - strong enough to set commercial buildings swaying from side to side.

The 30 second tremor was centred halfway between the territory's main island of Tutuila and Nukualofa in Tonga.

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