Seoul: Two South Koreans were killed and one is missing in American Samoa after it was hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The quake with a magnitude of 8.0 struck yesterday, wiping out villages and killing at least 28 people in Samoa and American Samoa.
The official told AFP the death toll for Koreans from the tsunami is tentative and may rise.
The confirmed victims are a 62-year-old fisherman named as Lee In-Saeng and a woman aged 45, Shin Mi-Ja, the official said.
Shin's nine-year-old daughter is missing, he said on condition of anonymity.
"There are 234 South Korean residents in American Samoa, mostly involved in deep-sea fishing, but no South Korean resides in Samoa," he said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 09:07