British Colony Devastated by Storm

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June 7, 2001

LONDON (AP) via NewsEdge Corporation -

A devastating storm has wreaked havoc on the world's most remote inhabited island and left the British colony without power for a week, the British Foreign Office said Wednesday.

Winds of 120 mph destroyed the hospital and community center and damaged homes on Tristan da Cunha _ a South Atlantic island which lies 1,500 miles off the coast of South Africa.

None of the island's 300-strong population was seriously injured in the May 23 storm, but a large number of cattle died. The island also lost its satellite phone and the roof was blown off the radio station.

The Foreign Office said Wednesday that Britain was offering a $105,000 emergency aid package.

The island's economy is based mostly on fishing, selling postage stamps and occasional tourism, but a supply ship does visit once a year.

The island has been a British colony since 1834 but its links with Britain date back to 1658 when the British East India Company won a charter to colonize and fortify it.

In 1961, the entire population of Tristan da Cunha was evacuated to Britain after a volcanic eruption. Most residents eventually chose to return.

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-- Rich Marsh (marshr@airmail.net), June 07, 2001


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