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Samoa will come to a standstill on Friday as more than 100 people killed in the country's greatest natural disaster are buried together in a mass grave.
A Government subcommittee yesterday met grieving relatives to confirm that at least 100 of the 151 people known to be dead will be
buried together.
A funeral service will take place in the village of Faleata on Friday. Another ceremony will then be held at the village of Tafaigata, where the 100 people will be buried on Government land. The site will be a lasting memorial cemetery for those killed in the tsunami.
Ale Vena Ale, whose three grandchildren died, said a lot of families at the meeting were happy with the decision and appreciated the Government wanting to remember their loved ones with a special memorial.
"A lot of families have accepted the Government's wish to bury all the victims together at Tafaigata. "They know that the Government wants tohelp them and know that it wantsto make this something special forpeople to always remember."
Mr Ale's daughter Salamasina survived the tsunami by clinging to a car door. Her three children died when the tsunami ripped through the family home shortly before 7am last Wednesday.
The three siblings have since been buried alongside up to 11 other members of the extended Tafua family killed in the disaster on a family property on top of a mountain in Lalomanu.
The Herald understands that a national holiday will be announced to remember those killed. A memorial plaque at the burial site will list the names of those killed as well as tell the story of the day the tsunami struck.
Meanwhile, all Samoa's funeral homes are filled and two large refrigerated containers holding bodies stand on the grounds of the Moto'otua Hospital in Upolu.
Several families who lost a large number of relatives agreed to house their loved ones in the containers because they could not afford a funeral home.
Hospital worker Tualima Samoa said he felt sorry for those who continually visited their loved ones in the containers: "They just cry and cry."
How you can help
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at
Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
