Asian Earthquake

Dec 27, 2004 Giant waves kill thousands in Asia

Bodies line beaches and homes are obliterated following strongest earthquake in 40 years

MORE than 10,000 people are feared dead or missing and millions displaced as the strongest earthquake in the world in 40 years unleashed flash floods and giant waves on South and South-east Asia.

Terrifying walls of water, or tsunamis, some as high as four storeys, crashed at breakneck speed into coastal areas in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Maldives on Sunday morning.

Tourists, fishermen, hotels, homes and cars were swept away in an arc of massive destruction stretching more than 2,000km, from Aceh to the Andaman Sea, from Malaysia to the Maldives, from Indonesia to India.

The worst is not over as fears grow of more aftershocks. These often follow such a massive quake, which happened underwater off Indonesia on Sunday morning.

'We expect the big waves to lash Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu for the next two days,' said Mr A. K. Shukla, head of the Indian Meteorological Department.

The greatest devastation is in Sri Lanka, the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh, and Indonesia, where the conflict-torn province of Aceh is worst-hit.

As the death toll keeps climbing, at least 3,500 people are dead in Sri Lanka and about 2,400 in India, from the 8.9-magnitude quake, the fifth-strongest since 1900. The strongest recorded was 9.5 on May 22, 1960, in Chile.

In Indonesia, more than 4,200 are reportedly dead, most in northern Sumatra, the island nearest the quake's epicentre, with witnesses saying entire villages of fishing huts in Aceh were obliterated.

Three countries have declared a state of emergency: Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives.

In Thailand, more than 300 people, including foreigners, have been killed, most of them at the tourist hotspots of Phi Phi island and Phuket, which are crammed with holidaymakers during this, the peak tourist season.

No Singaporeans have been reported among them, and more than 100 Singaporeans in Phuket and its surrounding islands have contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Reports have also been made by Singaporeans in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India, it added.

Singaporean Wilson Khoo, 29, an senior bank executive, said in an SMS interview with The Straits Times from the Seaview hotel at Patong beach in Phuket: 'Wave came in at 9.20am, carrying cars, lorry, and crashing into the hotel on the second floor. Furniture, TV, luggage and people were swept out. Screams and cries. Many hurt. Within seconds Patong is destroyed. All buildings. No water, electricity. Blackout.'

As the floodwaters recede, harrowing reports of people caught in the devastation and dramatic tales of escape are emerging from around the region, which coincidentally is being struck a year to the day after an earthquake in the Iranian city of Bam killed more than 30,000 people.

Bodies lined beaches and were caught in treetops in Sri Lanka, where the military is leading rescue work and where relief supplies will arrive from Japan today, following President Chandrika Kumaratunga's call for international aid.

Mr Gemunu Amarasinghe, a photographer who was in south Colombo, counted '24 bodies in a stretch of 6km'. He saw the bodies of children entangled in wire mesh used to barricade seaside homes.

'There were rows and rows of women and men standing on the road and asking if anyone had seen their family members,' he added.

In India, authorities struggled to control the mayhem, especially in Tamil Nadu, where about 1,700 are reportedly dead and scores of villages swallowed by tsunamis.

Hospital morgues are overflowing with bodies, among them a group of schoolchildren who were playing cricket on the beach when a giant wave swept them out to sea.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured 'all possible central government support and assistance in the relief and rehabilitation efforts' to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala and Pondicherry.

In Indonesia, a huge relief operation is underway for Aceh, a region closed to foreign media and aid agencies owing to a separatist conflict. But unconfirmed reports say more than 1,500 bodies lined the coastline near the capital, Banda Aceh.

In Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak wants an evacuation of coastal areas in Penang and Kedah, including Langkawi island, amid fears that further waves may hit.

In an outpouring of sympathy and aid for the region, the European Union has promised an initial 3 million euros (S$6.6 million) in aid. Pope John Paul appealed for swift international help while Queen Elizabeth II said she was 'deeply saddened to learn of the dreadful situation'.

In Singapore, tremors were felt in Beach Road, Siglap Road, Pine Close, Meyer Road and Toa Payoh, among others, with more than 10 calls made to the police.

However, Singapore, sheltered by the region's land masses, is safe, said university don Wong Poh Poh.

'When an earthquake occurs, it causes a ripple effect. In this case, the waves hit the western side of the peninsula like Phuket and Penang and lowland areas like India and Sri Lanka. Eventually, the effects may be felt further, in Mauritius, the Seychelles and places in East Africa.

'Geographically, Singapore is very safe,' he said. -- NEWS AGENCIES, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION



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Statement by PM Lee

'The sea is coming inland!'

Killer waves came without warning

Calm at sea, havoc along the coast

Deadliest quakes in recent decades

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Giant waves kill thousands in Asia

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Please keep the affected countries in mind =(

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