A bishop and three worshippers are among the lives claimed by the deadly tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands during a church ordination service on Monday.
Following yesterday's 8.1 magnitude quake, tsunami waves up to 10 metres high hit multiple islands across the Pacific region.The United Church has explained how Bishop Rowlington Zappo was conducting the ordination ceremony early Monday when the waves hit the church on Simbo Island, which is near Gizo, in the Solomons' Western Province.
Bishop Zappo was killed along with three other worshippers attending the service, but up to another 100 churchgoers in the congregation survived unharmed.
Solomon Islands police believe that at least 28 people have been killed in the disaster which has reportedly destroyed 13 villages and left thousands more homeless.
The aftermath has left a behind a humanitarian crisis which now threatens the lives of thousands who are without homes and basic items.
Aerial shots have shown scores of homes flattened along the coastline, with debris scattered along roads.
The first priority for relief and rescue teams is to restore communications with the affected areas and get aid through to the 5,409-known homeless people across the islands.
Aid agency Caritas has said infection could set in quickly among those injured. Antibiotics are in very short supply, and a team of doctors are currently tending to survivors at a hilltop aid station near Gizo, the worst affected town.
Caritas spokeswoman Liz Stone told Australian radio: "Many water tanks have been damaged, and we also have a problem with food supplies. The gardens have been inundated, so there is a problem with fresh food."
More than 27 aftershocks have continued to shake the region over the past 24 hours, including one 6.2 magnitude earthquake, and scientists have warned that more tsunamis may follow.
Workers are already at work to clear debris from roads and the local airport to allow the landing of aid flights packed full of supplies.
One Gizo resident told Reuters: "It's basically just houses stacked on top of one another, roofing iron. It's still quite a mess. One village on Simbo was completely wiped out. The entire village is gone and where the people are we have no idea."
The United Nations has said it has a full Disaster Assessment and Coordination team ready for deployment to the region.
