APIA, Oct 1, 2009 (AFP) - Rescuers reached scenes of stunning devastation on Wednesday after a killer tsunami obliterated Samoan island villages, killing at least 148 people and leaving scores more missing.

As distraught relatives picked through the rubble of homes and tourist resorts destroyed by Tuesday's 8.0-magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami, aid workers were left breathless at the catastrophe.

"The devastation was astronomical, worse than anything I have ever seen," said Peter Bendinelli, head of the non-profit group Caritas Samoa.