The Pacific tsunami has brought tragic news for many.

34 hours after the waves struck the Samoan islands and Tonga, there are bodies in the ocean and some are buried under sand and debris in Samoa as this bulletin goes to air.

Samoa's disaster management office said more than 32 thousand people have been affected in some way by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck in the Pacific Ocean yesterday.

The office puts the confirmed deaths at 83, though it expects that will rise.

The main hospital in Apia said among the bodies it received were those of a two-month old baby and a 102 year old woman.

In neighbouring American Samoa, 24 people have perished and seven people died in Tonga.

Tonga has now confirmed nine deaths while three people are still missing following three big waves that moved 600 metres inland in the island of Niuatoputapu.

Officials estimate that about 1,600 could be affected by the disaster in Tonga.

Meanwhile dozens of aftershocks are rocking islands in the South Pacific after yesterday's undersea quake churned up tsunamis that have left an estimated 150 people dead in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

Villagers are wiped out and tourist resorts flattened.

And there are reports of widespread looting in Southern Samoa.

In Samoa's South, Sea Breeze resort owner, Wendy Booth said she has hired extra security guards, and other resort owners said locals, some of them left destitute were stealing alcohol, fittings and anything saleable.

The loss is immeasurable and indescribable for many.

This is UN worker, Mikaele Maiada speaking from Samoa. He managed to survive but his family members who were staying near a beach in Lalamanu have all perished.