Radio announcer Epati Tamati may have saved hundreds of lives by not budging from his waterfront studio when the Samoan earthquake struck.

A NZ couple are appealing for former guests of a Lalomanu resort to offer tools and expertise to rebuild it after the tsunami.

A NZ woman whose home and possessions were washed away by the tsunami found the looting that followed tougher to deal with.

The parents of two girls killed in Samoa's tsunami describe their ordeal as New Zealand's death toll rises to seven.

In the hills above the stricken south coast of Samoa, 49 people are huddled under one tarpaulin.

As the water receded Ioka Fa'aliga-Fauena Yi clutched the body of her lifeless baby, said a prayer and sucked his nose.

The official death toll from Wednesday's quake stood at 809 last night, but the Indonesian Red Cross believes up to 4,000 people are lying beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Three adults and two children among those confirmed to have died in Wednesday's tragedy.