Tsunamis: Death toll tops 23 000
2004-12-27 14:39
Colombo - The death toll in southern and southeastern Asia from an earthquake off Indonesia and tidal waves that it unleashed passed 23 200 on Monday with officials in eight countries reporting deaths.
The toll shot up as the military and Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka reported that nearly 11 000 people, including 70 foreigners, had been killed in Sunday's disaster.
Almost 6 600 people were reported killed in southern India with more victims expected, officials said. Among them were some 3 000 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, close to the epicentre of the quake, and 2 790 in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, according to police.
In Indonesia, more than 4 725 people were killed as the country took the full force of the huge earthquake and tidal waves that swallowed entire coastal villages.
More than 870 people were killed and at least 7 300 injured by tidal waves in southern Thailand, including foreign tourists at famous seaside resorts, the interior ministry said.
In Malaysia 51 people, including many elderly and children, were killed, officials said.
At least two British tourists and 41 others were killed while another 63 were missing in the tourist paradise of the Maldives, officials said.
An international aid agency said at least 30 people were killed in Myanmar and the toll was expected to rise substantially.
In Bangladesh a father and child were killed after a tourist boat capsized from large waves, local officials said.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake registered west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.
Death toll
Sri Lanka: 10 897
India: 6 597
Indonesia: 4 725
Thailand: 866
Malaysia: 51
Maldives: 43
Myanmar: 30
Bangladesh: 2
Total: 23 211