Sea surges kill thousands in Asia

[zrion]

Shocked some one is yet to mention this on XBS...

More than 9,500 people have been killed across southern Asia in massive sea surges triggered by the strongest earthquake in the world for 40 years.

The 8.9 magnitude quake struck under the sea near Aceh in north Indonesia, generating a wall of water that sped across thousands of kilometres of sea.

More than 4,100 died in Indonesia, 3,200 in Sri Lanka and 2,000 in India.

Casualty figures are rising over a wide area, including tourist resorts on Thailand packed with holidaymakers.

Exact numbers of people killed, injured or missing in the countries hit, are impossible to confirm.

Hundreds are still thought to be missing from coastal regions and, in Sri Lanka alone, officials say more than a million people have been forced from their homes.

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a national disaster and the military has been deployed to help rescue efforts.

Hundreds of fishermen are missing off India's southern coast, and there are reports of scores of bodies being washed up on beaches.

Night has fallen in Indonesia and communications remain difficult, particularly to the strife-torn region of Aceh where the main quake was followed by nine aftershocks. Reports speak of bodies being recovered from trees.

International aid agencies have called for a rapid response to the emergency to avert further deaths.

The European Union immediately pledged 3m euros (£2.1m) to disaster relief efforts.

Messages of condolences have poured in from around the world.

Pope John Paul said he was praying for "the victims of this enormous tragedy".

Harrowing reports of people caught in the devastation and dramatic tales of escape are emerging from the region.

Jayanti Lakshmi, 70, had gone shopping with his daughter-in-law in Cuddalore in southern India, only to return to find her son and twin grandsons dead in their hut.

"I wish I had died instead of the others, my daughter-in-law would have a life. I can't bear to watch her pain," he said.

In Thailand, hundreds of holiday bungalows are reported to have been destroyed on the popular Phi Phi island.

Resort owner Chan Marongtaechar told AP: "I am afraid there will be a high figure of foreigners missing in the sea, and also my staff."

Indonesia's location - along the Pacific geological "Ring of Fire" - makes it prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Sunday's tremor - the fifth strongest since 1900 - had a particularly widespread effect because it seems to have taken place just below the surface of the ocean, analysts say.

Bruce Presgrave of the US Geological service told the Reuters news agency: "These big earthquakes, when they occur in shallow water... basically slosh the ocean floor... and it's as if you're rocking water in the bathtub and that wave can travel throughout the ocean."

Experts say tsunamis generated by earthquakes can travel at up to 500km/h.

Disaster Toll

Sri Lanka: 3,225 dead
Indonesia: 4,185 dead
India: 2,000 dead
Thailand: 257 dead
Malaysia: 28 dead
Maldives: 10 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead


This truly is a tradegy and my condolances go to all who hav lost there lives, this is so unbelievable, like something out of a movie, a frightening moment for those being swept away, for those who witnessed the tidal wave and were victims to it - something I wish God will spare them from again

[Darth Sidious]

According to Sky News the current death toll is more than 11,000...

[zrion]

According to Sky News the current death toll is more than 11,000...

there'll be more, I doubt they'll get a final figure on the death toll so many people are missing, I guess we should hope and prey they dont get hit with another one as it tends to hit again with in 10 hrs.

Heres a picture for you of the effect of the parts it hit

[audibuL]

wow..................

[Chrome Shock]

Wow, that's really sad. RIP all who died.

[Electro68]

Man that's tragic, I feel bad for all those people......my prayers and thoughts will be with them and there families....RIP.

[zrion]

Disaster Toll - approx more then 21000 people dead

Sri Lanka: 10,800 dead
Indonesia: 4,500 dead
India: 2,958 dead
Thailand: 839 dead
Malaysia: 44 dead
Maldives: 32 dead
Burma: 30 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead

More then a 1 million people in Indonesia are unecounted for.

At-a-glance: Countries hit



INDONESIA

The epicentre of the earthquake was off the western island of Sumatra, striking at about 0100 GMT (0800 local time) on Sunday. Dozens of buildings were destroyed in the initial quake before a huge wall of water, up to 10m high in places, hit the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra.

Officials said Aceh was the worst hit area, which lies closest to the epicentre. Coastal towns and villages, and the resort island of Nias, were swamped.

SRI LANKA

A wide stretch of the eastern coastline - from Jaffna in the north to the popular tourist beaches in the south - has been devastated. The districts of Muttur and Trincomalee were reportedly inundated by waves as high as 6m.

Up to a million people have been forced from their homes, officials say.

''One elderly British gentleman was walking around in a state of shock. His wife had been swimming when the waves struck. And a family walked past carrying a very small bundle with pale white feet poking out the bottom of it. As they walked past, the teenage son, wearing an England football shirt said in a very matter of fact way: 'My brother is dead'.''~ Roland Buerk, BBC News, Sri Lanka

INDIA

More than 2,000km (1,243 miles) of southern coast was swamped by waves, including the states of Tamil Nadu - whose capital, Madras, was particularly badly hit - Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, as well as the federally administered territory of Pondicherry.

There are reports of scores of bodies being washed up on beaches. Many casualties are also reported in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Jetties on the island's main port have collapsed and many people have been forced out of their homes.

''Many rumours are afloat warning of more tsunamis. Most of the apartment blocks are deserted with people moving inland. The plight of the fisher folk is sad. The relief effort is hampered by the sheer size of the tragedy - the coast line is more than 40 kms long, with over 12 fishing hamlets in Madras (Chennai) alone.'' ~ Vijay, Madras, India

THAILAND

The western coast of southern Thailand has been badly affected, including Phuket and Phi Phi islands and the mainland resorts of Krabi and Phang Nga.



Reports say divers and sunbathers were swept out to sea from beaches near Phuket.

''I woke up to what I thought was banging on our hotel door - it blew open and we were tossed from our bed by a surge of water. It broke out the back windows and we were carried out. We scrambled on to walls and rooftops but the tide surged and they were not high enough. The buildings around me collapsed and I was thrown into the surge. When I came up I grabbed hold of a branch. Pinned against a tree by the water, debris and bodies started to pile up against me and it felt like I was being crushed. In the end, the whole resort was gone. There are many others like me - lost, dazed and searching for their loved ones.'' ~ Kevin Aldrich, Phang Nga, Thailand

MALDIVES

High waves and floods inundated the islands.

Large areas of the capital, Male, have been left under water and some low lying islands abandoned.

Some of the country's 200 islands cannot be contact.

''I had felt the tremors. I was in bed with my wife. She told me 'stop moving', and I said 'But I'm not moving'. The bed was moving enough to realise that something was happening. Three hours later the tsunami hit Male with a wave about 3ft high. With the Maldives only being a metre above sea level, it's created devastation.'' ~ MP Jim Fitzpatrick, UK

MALAYSIA

People are reported to have been swept away from beaches near the northern island of Penang. The mainland states of Kedah and Perak were also affected.

''I was driving along Gurney Drive on Sunday when I noticed the sea water had receded. Then I saw a white swell about two kilometres from the shore. Lots of motorists stopped to look. In less than two minutes, the swell became bigger and accelerated towards the shore and flooded the road. Everyone panicked and tried to drive away. I estimated that the wave, when it reached the shore was about two metres high.'' ~ Cheah Tek Ming, Penang, Malysia

[xbox657]

I saw it on Sky news too and it said that about 21,000 people have been killed... It showed actual footage of the tsunami- just water pouring into the towns.

[zrion]

One positive aspect of this is to see for once all Countries have banded together in helping all Countries effected financially and by providing aid as quickly as possible, I just hope they can come out of the financial, economic burdan this disaster has placed them in.

Death toll is now over 50,000.

Sri Lanka: 18,706 dead
Indonesia: 27,174 dead
India: 4,371 dead
Thailand: 1,400 dead
Maldives: 52 dead
Malaysia: 44 dead
Burma: 30 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead
Somalia: 100 dead
Kenya: 1 dead
Seychelles: 3 dead
Tanzania: 10 dead

[Electro68]

I can't even fathom 50,000 lives gone just like that, God Bless all who lost there life and the families who have to endure this tragedy, and rebuild, and go on. I will continue to pray for them........RIP