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TSUNAMI LATEST

The death toll has increased to 80,000; that’s ten times the number reported early Monday. Here’s a nation-by-nation analysis from a few hours ago:

Indonesia: 36,268

Sri Lanka: 22,493

India: 10,850

Thailand: 1657

Burma: 90

Malaysia: 65

Maldives: 55

Bangladesh: 2

Somalia 100

Tanzania 10

Kenya 1

One Swedish tour company can’t account for 600 people. In all, more than 1,000 Swedes and Germans are missing. A Swedish volunteer support centre worker tells the SMH: “I don’t think they [the Swedish Government] understood how big it was. At first they said the Government can’t do anything. It’s the travel agencies’ job.”

Nine Australians are dead, and twenty-seven in hospital. Only 3,000 of the 8,000 Australians believed to have been in the region are accounted for; of those, however, only seven are currently listed as being “of concern”.

One of blogger Kathy Kinsley’s friends survived the tsunami. Another was killed.

Rapid reaction by Kenyan officials may have saved hundreds of lives:

“Our marine specialists were monitoring satellite images from the Indian Ocean so we knew we were likely to feel the after-effects,” said a spokesman for the Kenyan navy. “We were then able to co-ordinate with the police, and the ports and harbours.”

George W. Bush has announced a coalition of the helping, including Australia, Japan and India, to lead relief efforts.

Terrible images from Sri Lanka; this is particularly heartbreaking.

Posted by Tim B. on 12/30/2004 at 04:04 AM

  1. To avoid these calamities in the future, we need to get in touch with the elephants. . .

    Posted by Spear Shaker on 2004 12 30 at 05:12 AM • permalink

  2. George W. Bush has announced a “coalition of the helping”

    Yet another disgusting example of American hubris!  They have to get in the middle of everything!  Where’s France?  Where’s the Muslims? Where’s the UN? Kofi? Speak Kofi.

    Posted by Mike SC USA on 2004 12 30 at 05:21 AM • permalink

  3. Hey, that’s unfair to the French! Apparently their Foreign Minister M. Bernier is visiting the region to personally supervise the disbursement of French relief funds which should take, oh, all of about thirty seconds ...

    Posted by mikedc2 on 2004 12 30 at 06:51 AM • permalink

  4. I hope the “Coalition of the Helping” does a better job than the “Coalition of the Willing” has been doing. Or else there’s gonna be a whole lot more screw ups.

    Posted by Dudette on 2004 12 30 at 06:51 AM • permalink

  5. more images (very graphic) here:
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1310424/posts

    Posted by angel on 2004 12 30 at 09:19 AM • permalink

  6. how can bangladesh only have 2 dead?? it’s all low lying ground and would be easily swamped.

    Posted by vinnyboombutts on 2004 12 30 at 09:27 AM • permalink

  7. http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/animation.gif

    That should help explain the low number of deaths in Bangladesh.

    Posted by Heiko on 2004 12 30 at 09:52 AM • permalink

  8. I don’t hope to ever see anything like that picture again. I have to go to Amazon and hit the donation site now.

    Posted by Major John on 2004 12 31 at 05:00 AM • permalink

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