A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake spawned towering tsunami waves that swept ashore on Samoa and American Samoa, flooding and flattening villages and killing more than 80.

Cars and people were swept out to sea as survivors fled to higher ground. Signs of devastation were everywhere, with a giant boat getting washed ashore and coming to rest on the edge of a highway and floodwaters swallowing up cars and homes.

Hampered by power and communications outages, officials hours later struggled to get a handle on the damage and casualties. At least 63 people were killed on Samoa and 19 on American Samoa.

Photos: AP

NATURE’S FURY: Huge waves pushed a boat onto the side of a highway in the American Samoa city of Fagatogo, whose town center was flooded.

Officials acknowledged the death toll seemed certain to rise. New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was leveled.

“It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out,” Ansell told New Zealand’s National Radio from a hill near Samoa’s capital, Apia.

“There’s not a building standing. We’ve all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg.”