SA tsunami victims named

2004-12-27 15:27

Johannesburg - Two South Africans have been confirmed killed on Phuket Island off Thailand, after an earthquake and subsequent tidal waves that hit Southeast Asia on Sunday, said the department of foreign affairs.

"Minister of foreign affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has been advised officially of the deaths of two South Africans in Phuket," said the department's Ronnie Mamoepa.

SABC news named the two dead South Africans as Johannesburgers Daphney Coetzee and Paul Sender.

Two South Africans are still missing in Chennai, India. Two others who were missing in Sri Lanka have been located, he said. At least 300 South Africans are believed to be stranded in Thailand.

A rescue team will fly to Phuket on Tuesday morning to bring back 198 South Africans, said Netcare 911 spokesperson Mande Toubkin.

A 747 Boeing - on loan from Nationwide Airlines - would leave Johannesburg International Airport at 11:00 on Tuesday.

"We are sending five doctors, five nurses and two paramedics," she said.

Mamoepa added that two foreign affairs consular service officers and two home affairs officials also would be on the plane.

They would provide welfare and temporary travel documents for those South Africans trapped on the island.

Toubkin said they would bring back those with minor injuries, and women and children.

"We will have to leave some behind. We believe there are about 300 South Africans stranded, but we only have 198 seats."

The rescue team is expected to spend four or five hours in Phuket rounding up the stranded, before making the eight-hour journey back to Johannesburg.

The rescue mission is a joint effort between Netcare 911, foreign affairs and Discovery Health.

South Africa's ambassador to Thailand, Buli Ndzimande Pheto, travelled to Phuket earlier on Monday to co-ordinate the evacuation of South Africans on the island.

She has already met those affected.

By Monday afternoon, 23 500 people in the eight affected countries were reported to have died in the largest earthquake in 40 years in the region.

- SAPA