By Huang Xingwei
APIA, Samoa, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Churches across Samoa were packed on Sunday local time as the south Pacific island nation struggled to come to terms with last week's 8.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.
All relief aid work in both Samoa and American Samoa was halted to allow people a day of mourning and prayer.
About 600 people filled the Congregational Christian Church in Lalomanu, one of the worst-hit villages on the south coast of main island of Upolu.
And in Apia, where a mass funeral for all the tsunami victims will be held on Thursday local time, a small remembrance service took place in the Methodist church. It was attended by head of state Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese and Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
Two relatives of Prime Minister Tuilaepa were killed by tsunami near Lalomanu.
In American Samoa, about 600 people attended a prayer service on Sunday that was broadcast on radio and television to tens of thousands more people.
The total tsunami death toll across the two Samoas and Tonga stood at 176. A total of 135 people died in Samoa and eight were missing after the tsunami. At least 32 people have died in American Samoa, while nine died in Tonga.
A middle-age woman named Fiapule told Xinhua that four of her family members, including her 106-year-old grandma, died in the devastating tsunami.
In Lalomanu, Samoa Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Taua Kitiona said he does not want to think about the sad memories after losing six members of his family.
"Lalomanu the most popular place here that promoted Samoa to the world, now it seems a bomb was dropped here and ruined everything," he said.
He said it is sad to see the whole of Lalomanu where the resorts were all cleaned out.
Samoa will hold a national funeral service to commemorate the lives of tsunami victims on Thursday local time.
It was originally scheduled for Tuesday. However, relatives of the deceased overseas appealed for more time to arrive to pay their final respects.
