Thursday, December 30, 2004
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.