Samoans commemorate tsunami dead

People in Samoa and neighboring Pacific islands have packed churches and community halls to remember those killed in last week's tsunami. The BBC's Phil Mercer, in the capital Apia , says the services are a vital part of the islands' healing process.

However, he says it remains to be seen whether displaced residents will want to return to low-lying areas. More than 170 people died when the tsunami - triggered by an earthquake - hit Samoa , American Samoa and Tonga .

At the Congregational Christian Church of Lalomanu, representatives of 10 families mourned 52 lost relatives. In the Immaculate Conception of Mary Cathedral in Apia , Monsignor Ioane Vito urged the congregation to unite to overcome the disaster.

"Don't dwell on it but rebuild our lives together as a community," he said. Government minister Fiana Naomi said on Saturday that she expected about half of Samoa 's victims to be buried in mass graves of up to 20 in a new cemetery in Apia .

A memorial service would be held in a nearby sports stadium prior to the burials, she added. The tsunami struck following an 8.3-magnitude earthquake at 1748 GMT on Tuesday some 190km (120 miles) from Apia .

Villages were destroyed, homes flattened and cars lodged in treetops. Our correspondent says Samoans have reacted swiftly to the disaster and many have begun rebuilding their homes, but others have remained on high ground, afraid to return to the coast.

Australia has sent medical and search personnel to Samoa , and a New Zealand plane arrived on Saturday. The earthquake and resulting tsunami left 135 dead and eight missing in Samoa , 32 dead in American Samoa and nine dead in Tonga .