Honiara (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Tents, food and clean water. Caritas Australia and New Zealand are concentrating on providing these essential elements on the Solomon Islands – in the South Pacific Ocean – hit yesterday by a violent tsunami which cost the lives of 20 people. A statement released yesterday by Caritas Internationalis confirmed the local authority warning: the death toll could rise.
The area worst hit by the wave is the western province: in the capital Gizo, communication lines are still down. Personnel from the Catholic aid agency are trying to contact the local bishop, Msgr Bernard O’ Grady; his dwellings lie along the seafront near the Cathedral.
“We are responding to the emergency through our Caritas partners and the local Church” said Liz Stone, of Caritas Australia. The risk of land and mudslides provoked by the giant wave is high as well as an outbreak of infective diseases provoked by poor sanitary conditions.
The Solomon Islands have a population of about 500 thousand. Yesterday a quake measuring a magnitude of 8.1 on the Richter scale led to a series of landslides which buried several villages, while the giant wave (reaching almost 10 metres) dragged several houses out to sea forcing their inhabitants to flee. According to official sources, greatest damage has been done to the islands’ infrastructure and housing: diverse hospitals, rural clinics, water cisterns and railway stations. Over 900 private dwellings were destroyed and the homeless now number around 5 thousand.
The Australian government has sanctioned 1.6 million dollars for the emergency. The UN has offered it’s assistance to Canberra in its relief work.