02/08/2013 16:53
- From: The Australian
- February 09, 2013
Houses lie wrecked in the Solomon Islands village of Venga after a tsunami struck the remote Santa Cruz Islands. Source: AFP
THE death toll from the tsunami that swept across Ndende in the eastern Solomon Islands on Wednesday has risen to 10.
The reopening of Lata airport enabled medical staff to arrive to support local hospital workers, and National Disaster Management Office experts to start assessing the damage.
The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude-8 underwater earthquake. About 3500 people have lost their homes in several villages on Ndende, the main island of the Santa Cruz group.
The first report from NDMO assessors said wells and bore holes had been contaminated and water tanks destroyed, debris blocked roads, food gardens and fruit trees on the coast had been lost and the power supply in the main town, Lata, remained out.
Australia's initial aid includes $50,000 to the NDMO for aircraft fuel and logistics support, $250,000 to Solomon Islands Red Cross, and reconnaissance by an RAAF Hercules.
source: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/solomon-islands-tsunami-death-toll-rises/story-e6frg6so-1226573893252
