M A I N   N E W S

More than 24,000 dead

Colombo, December 27
The death toll in the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka reached 12,000, including at least 70 foreigners, while many were reported still missing as rescuers today frantically searched for survivors and engaged in reaching aid and medical care for the destitute. The death toll from India to Indonesia has gone up to more than 24,000.

The death toll has reached 12,000 according to miltary and Tamil rebel sources. The military revised the death toll after additional bodies were recovered, including some 2,000 from Tamil rebel held areas.

The LTTE’s main military bases are located along the north-east coast, among the worst-hit by the tsunamis, which were triggered by an underwater earthquake off the north eastern Indonesian coast. The rebels said more people were still missing.

The majority of victims were children and the elderly.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a state of disaster yesterday saying the country was ill-prepared to handle the calamity, the worst to hit the tiny island.

“We were not prepared for a natural disaster of this magnitude, we do have frequent floods, but this is a catastrophe,” she said in a statement.

Worst affected were Sri Lanka where 12,000 were killed, India where officials reported as many as 5,700 dead, northern Indonesia with 5,000 drowned and the southern tourist isles of Thailand where as many as 700 were feared to have lost their lives.

BANGKOK: An Indian national was among the nearly 700 persons killed and thousands injured by the killer tsunami in southern Thailand, officials said today.

“The dead was identified as Mrs Sangeeta Tusmar Snah,” Charge d’affaires of the Indian Embassy here T.P. Seetharam told PTI. — Agencies