A senior Samoa Observer journalist, Mataafa Keni Lesa, driving to report on the tsunami found two injured babies and battled to get them to a medical centre.
Both babies died before they could get medical attention, said Mr Lesa's editor, Russell Hunter.
"He also picked up two very badly injured
small babies to try and get them to the health station at Loloamanu ... those two babies died in his car before he could get them there".
Mr Hunter told ABC News the impact of the tsunami was overwhelming emergency services.
"The problem is the disaster is now of such magnitude that we can tell that they just don't have the resources to deal with it adequately," He said emergency services teams had needed real heroism to help some people.
The coastal road was "just about gone" and a reporter had struggled to get through to one of the worst-affected villages, where he had reported scenes of "great tragedy".
- NZPA
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