Death Toll May Reach 200,000
Date: Wednesday, December 29 @ 19:02:27 UTC
Topic: Disaster


Updated: January 02, 2005

Scientific Background on the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami
Information relating to the submarine earthquake inbetween Aceh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka of the 26th of December, 2004 has been compiled here.

Tsunami Death Toll May Reach 200,000
The world will never know how many people lost their lives in the cataclysm that struck the Indian Ocean region a week ago.
The official death toll moved incrementally forward to 123,184 yesterday, with more than 80,000 of these in Indonesia and nearly 30,000 in Sri Lanka. But one leading observer ­ Laila Freivalds, the Swedish Foreign Minister ­ said after visiting Thailand: "The whole area is still chaotic. Dead bodies are being collected, boats are arriving from the islands loaded with dead people. In the whole area, the death toll is beginning to rise towards 200,000."
Full Article : commondreams.org

5 000 000 displaced by tsunami
Up to five million people have been displaced by the devastating tsunamis that pummelled large tracts of Asia over the weekend, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.
Full Article : news24.com

Future of Andaman's 500 Jarawa tribals uncertain
NEW DELHI: There was no concrete information till late Friday evening about the condition of the 500-odd Jarawa aborigines tribe inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Full Article : indiatimes.com

Remote island tribes safe after quake
Groups of rare aboriginal tribes already near the edge of extinction in the Andaman and Nicobar islands survived a massive tsunami, the coast guard said on Thursday.
Five tribes numbering 989 people were safe after Sunday's onslaught, including the 100-member Onge, 250 of the fiercely independent Sentinelese, 39 of the almost extinct Andamanese, 350 of the Jarawa and 250 of the hunter-gatherer Shompen.
Full Article : iafrica.com

Global analysts dispute perceived US generosity
LONDON -- The US government is contributing $35 million of the half-billion dollars that the world's developed nations are donating to the tsunami relief effort, and many Americans believe -- as President Bush put it earlier this week -- that their country is being its typical "generous, kindhearted" self.
Full Article : boston.com

U.S. tries to Save Face
U.S. Boosts Tsunami Aid Tenfold to $350M
CRAWFORD, Texas - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday.
Full Article : news.yahoo.com

Tsunami death toll now 125,000
BANDA ACEH: The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 125,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumours of new waves sent many fleeing inland in panic.
Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk

Asian tsunami toll jumps to over 125,000
Asia's tsunami death toll soared above 125,000 and aid agencies warned many more people -- particularly children -- could die in epidemics, ushering in a somber New Year's Eve for the world.
Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn

Tsunami death toll passes 120,000
The death toll from the Asian megaquake and ensuing tsunamis officially passed 120,000. At least 123,181 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa by Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures.
Full Article : thisislondon.co.uk

International aid groups seek access into remote disaster zone of Indian islands
International aid groups sought permission to go deep into India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, the last tsunami blind spot where casualties are feared in thousands, but Indian authorities said Friday they have not yet given approval. India has officially reported 7,368 dead in the earthquake-tsunami disaster but that does not include a complete count in the island territories, where officials estimate as many as 10,000 people could be buried under mud and debris.
Full Article : chinapost.com.tw

Iran Knows What Awaits Tsunami Survivors
The people of Bam, an Iranian town devastated by an earthquake a year ago, know what's ahead for the survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami: broken hearts, slow rebuilding and unfulfilled promises of aid. But Bam presents itself as proof of man's capacity to overcome.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Tsunami triggers history's biggest ever relief effort
THE DEATH toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 125,000 yesterday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumours of new waves sent many fleeing inland in panic.
Aid agencies warned many more, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka, could die in epidemics if shattered communications and transport hampered what may prove history's biggest relief operation.
Full Article : jamaica-gleaner.com

Somalia: relief supply reach tsunami victims
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said it had started distributing food to Somali survivors of the deadly tsunami wave that struck the country's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend, as the death toll climbed to 132.
Full Article : turkishpress.com

Tsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 120,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and fresh water and thousands more fled in panic to high ground on rumors of new waves.
Full Article : commondreams.org

Somalia wave victims 'forgotten'
Somalia has largely been forgotten by the international community in its response to help victims of Sunday's tsunami, the United Nations says. Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said UN personnel had only just reached villages affected.
Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk

Breakdown of quake, tsunami death toll
At least 114,758 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa from Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. A breakdown of the toll so far:
Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com

Tsunami death toll likely to surpass 100,000
Planes loaded with everything from lentils to water purifiers touched down across Asia yesterday, the start of the largest relief effort in history, as aid workers predicted the death toll from this week's earthquake and tsunamis would top 100,000.
Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com

Tsunami waters raise landmine fears in Sri Lanka
Already haunted by fears of a new tsunami or spread of disease, survivors picking through debris of entire towns to recover corpses at Sri Lanka's northern tip face a new danger -- floating landmines.
Full Article : expressindia.com

Death is all around, but the band plays on for the tourist horde
For many in key Thai resort, it is sun, sex and booze as usual
Stefan Johansson, a 41-year-old air force officer from Sweden, is hoping that tonight is the night. He is not concerned about aftershocks hitting the beach half a mile from here, or about the haphazard rescue operation finally under way in southern Thailand.
Nor is he worried by the deaths of several hundred compatriots. Mr Johansson is anxious that the bar girl he has his eye on is going to keep holding out on him. "I'm having a good holiday," he said. "I went for a walk along the sand this morning, did a bit of swimming. Now I'm off drinking, and then we'll see."
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

The World Mourns The Dead And Missing After Tsunami
JAKARTA, December 30 (RIA Novosti, Mikhail Tsyganov) - From Europe to Australia, the world started mourning the dead and the missing in the wake of tsunami that hit the countries of the Indian Ocean region.

In the course of the largest global rescue operation, Europe has been connected with Asia by an "air bridge" transporting food and medical supplies to the south and rescued tourists to the north. Up to 60 countries allocated more than $250 million for humanitarian aid to Asian countries devastated by natural disaster.

The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami in 12 countries of Asia and Africa has exceeded 83,000 people. According to the Red Cross organization, the overall number of the dead might exceed 100,000. "We are dealing with a natural catastrophe of unprecedented proportions," announced head of Asian Pacific branch of the Red Cross Simon Missiri. Almost a third of the dead are children. Millions of people are left without housing.
Full Article : en.rian.ru

Where Are All the Dead Animals?
Sri Lankan wildlife officials are stunned -- the worst tsunami in memory has killed around 22,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast, but they can't find any dead animals.
Full Article : news.yahoo.com

Quake relief urgent, toll passes 80,000
Millions of people around the Indian Ocean are in need of food and clean water as the threat of disease and hunger becomes as big a threat as the most devastating tsunami on record that struck on Sunday.
Full Article : aljazeera.net

Tsunami Death Toll Soars to Near 77,000
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - As the world scrambled to the rescue, survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them. The official death toll across 12 countries soared to near 77,000 and the Red Cross predicted it could pass 100,000.
Full Article : news.yahoo.com

What Did the US Know and When Did It Know It?
Reports on the Asian tsunami typically ignore the crucial political back stories in volatile areas like Aceh and Sri Lanka...and how "aid" efforts will be exploited for geo-political gain. Without such context, the coverage is woefully incomplete and irresponsible. Today, Democracy Now did delve deeper into the situation in Aceh...the military repression, the role of Exxon-Mobil, and now the earthquake/tsunami. Do some research and see for yourself.
Full Article : counterpunch.org

New York Times Says Tsunami Kills White People, Too!
The images of the tsunami are overwhelming, the grief incalculable as the death toll rises to 80,000 and beyond. As many as a third of the victims have been children, unable to withstand the force of the monstrous waves that struck without warning. Amid this carnage, some of the leading media outlets in the United States have focused undue attention on the fact that some Westerners have died along with tens of thousands of Asians.

"Many Tourists Are Killed," read the subhed on the front page of Tuesday’s New York Times. (Its main headline drew attention to the high percentage of children who died.)
Full Article : commondreams.org

Race to bury Asia's dead as toll hits 68,000
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Thousands of corpses rotted in Indonesia's tropical sun on Wednesday as rescuers scoured isolated coasts across the Indian Ocean for survivors of Sunday's giant waves that killed more than 68,000.
Full Article : abs-cbnnews.com

More Than 4,000 Tourists Missing in Tsunami-Hit Asia
More than 4,000 overseas tourists from nations worldwide are missing three days after 10-meter (33 feet) waves swept through Asian resorts at the height of the vacation season. The Nordic countries are among the hardest hit.
Full Article : bloomberg.com

British toll rises in Asia quake
A total of 26 Britons have been confirmed dead after the Indian Ocean tsunami, with Thai authorities suggesting as many as 43 may have died.
Full Article : bbc.co.uk

Rescuers battle as toll climbs in Asia
The death toll from the Asian tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia, is 67 682 people, according to government and health officials.
Full Article : iol.co.za

Tsunami endangers survival of Andaman tribes
The unprecedented devastation in the Andaman and Nicobar islands has raised real fears about virtual decimation of indigenous tribal groups on the islands.

Many of these tribes are living away from civil society, and smaller and more vulnerable islands and importantly, far away from any means of help.
Full Article : ndtv.com

How earthquake jolted the planet
Sumatra is thought to have moved by as much as 120ft and the Earth to have shifted on its axis

THE earthquake responsible for the Asian tsunami was so powerful that it changed the local geography, shifting islands and the mainland of Sumatra by as much as 120ft, American seismologists said yesterday.

The energy released by the quake was so huge that it may even have caused the Earth to wobble on its axis. Geophysicists are calling it a megathrust, the term used for the most powerful of changes in the Earth’s surface. Pressure built up over nearly two centuries was released in a single snap.

"That earthquake has changed the map," Ken Hudnut, of the US Geological Survey (USGS), said. "Based on seismic modelling, some of the smaller islands off the southwest coast of Sumatra may have moved to the southwest by about 20 metres. That is a lot of slip."
Full Article : timesonline.co.uk

India, South Asia ignored tsunami alert system
NEW YORK: India and other South Asian countries have tended to treat tsunamis as a problem of the Pacific Ocean and in the process not paid enough attention to warnings, say experts.
Full Article : indiatimes.com

Deadly waves explained
A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that are generated by a large-scale disturbance of seawater. Most tsunamis are generated from earthquakes, but they can also occur after volcanic eruptions, landslides, and meteor impacts. The most destructive tsunamis are created by large earthquakes with an epicenter or fault line near or on the ocean floor. Usually, it takes an earthquake with a strength above 7.5 on the Richter scale to generate a destructive tsunami.
Full Article : boston.com







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