British toddler killed in tsunami

A British toddler has been found dead after going missing when a tsunami hit the South Pacific island of Samoa.

The two-year-old's parents were receiving consular assistance at the New Zealand High Commission, Samoa's British Honorary Consulate said.

The Foreign Office (FO) confirmed a British national had died after the disaster struck on Tuesday.

A series of tsunamis triggered by quakes have killed more than 100 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

'Villages destroyed'

A FO spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the sad death of a British national in Samoa."

British Honorary Consulate Dr Stephen Rogers, based in Apia in the north of the island, said there were no other reports of UK casualties.

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"We have a number of British people who have lost all their possessions," he said.

"We've also had calls from a number of Brits in different accommodation who are claiming to be okay. We've had calls from the UK about people we've got no information about."

About 20 Britons are thought to have been on Samoa at the time the tsunami struck.

Dr Rogers said the initial quake shook the entire island and damaged buildings, but added that the devastation was largely confined to the south east.

He said 36ft (11m) waves swept inshore about half an hour after the quake, washing away anything in its path, including roads and houses.