View Full Version : Tidal wave toll tops 21,000 in southern Asia
Sparrowhawk
12-27-04, 08:29 AM
Tidal wave toll tops 21,000 in southern Asia
Millions left homeless; international aid promised
In less then 20 minutes they are dead
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Rescuers on Monday piled up bodies along coastlines devastated by a tsunami that obliterated seaside towns in Asia and Africa, killing 21,000 people in nine countries. Hundreds of children were buried in mass graves in India, and morgues and hospitals struggled to cope with the catastrophe.
The death toll mounted sharply Monday, a day after the 9.0-magnitude quake struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia. It was the most powerful quake in four decades.
The waves sped away from the epicenter at over 500 mph before crashing into the region’s shorelines, sweeping people and fishing villages out to sea. Millions were displaced from their homes and thousands were missing.
Fear of disease outbreaks
Officials said the death toll would continue to rise, and the International Red Cross said it was concerned about waterborne diseases. International aid agencies rushed to get food, shelter and clean water to the affected areas.
Sri Lanka said just over 10,000 people were killed along its coastlines, and Tamil rebels said 2,000 people died in territory under their control, bringing that country’s toll to more than 12,000.
Indonesia reported about 5,000 deaths and India 3,000. Thailand — a Western tourist hotspot — said hundreds were dead and thousands missing. Deaths were also reported in Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh and even in Somalia, 3,000 miles away in Africa.
On the remote Car Nicobar island south of India, Police Chief S.B. Deol told New Delhi Television he had reports that another 3,000 people may have died. If confirmed, that would raise India’s death toll to 6,000 and the overall number to 23,900.
“The Andaman and Nicobar islands have been really badly hit,” said Hakan Sandbladh, senior health officer at the Geneva headquarters of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
In Bandah Aceh, Indonesia, 150 miles from the quake’s epicenter, dozens of bloated bodies littered the streets as soldiers and desperate relatives searched for survivors Monday. Some 500 bodies collected by emergency workers lay under plastic tents, rotting in the tropical heat.
“We have ordered 15,000 troops into the field to search for survivors,” said military spokesman Edy Sulistiadi. “They are mostly retrieving corpses.”
yellowwing
12-27-04, 09:28 AM
I wonder how Diego Garcia faired, has anyone heard?
Also, I've heard we are offering troops from Okinawa to help Thailand. Nothing definitive so far.
A real mess it is!
Sparrowhawk
12-27-04, 03:55 PM
HAVOC IS UNLEASHED FROM THE DEPTHS: 'The quake even disturbed the Earth's rotation'...
Moved the entire island of Sumatra about 100 feet toward the southwest; first tsunami in the Indian Ocean since 1883...
"All the planet is vibrating" from the quake, said Enzo Boschi, the head of Italy's National Geophysics Institute. Speaking on SKY TG24 TV, Boschi said "the quake even disturbed the Earth's rotation."
hrscowboy
12-27-04, 05:37 PM
i guess these folks didnt know how to swim huh...
greensideout
12-27-04, 08:37 PM
Originally posted by Sparrowhawk
HAVOC IS UNLEASHED FROM THE DEPTHS: 'The quake even disturbed the Earth's rotation'...
Moved the entire island of Sumatra about 100 feet toward the southwest; first tsunami in the Indian Ocean since 1883...
"All the planet is vibrating" from the quake, said Enzo Boschi, the head of Italy's National Geophysics Institute. Speaking on SKY TG24 TV, Boschi said "the quake even disturbed the Earth's rotation."
Rather then think the worse, I hope the "rotation change" makes longer and warmer days, but then it's winter---of course that's what I think---till summer comes. lol
(It's a horrible tragedy. I really don't take it lightly.)
yellowwing
12-28-04, 01:43 AM
Deigo Garcia military base unaffected by tsunamis
Tuesday, December 28, 2004. 1:00pm
The key United States military base in the Indian Ocean has been unaffected by the tsunamis which have devastated parts of Asia, The Washington Post has reported.
Diego Garcia, a British territory about 1,500 kilometres south of India, hosts about 3,200 US military personnel and civilian contractors and many US long-range bombers and Navy ships.
Lieutenant Colonel Bill Bigelow, a spokesman for US Pacific Command in Hawaii told the newspaper the US base was apparently safe.
"There are no reports of any damage there," Lt Col Bigelow said.
Sparrowhawk
12-29-04, 02:35 PM
Tsunami Kills 800 on Sri Lankan Train
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA
Associated Press Writer
TELWATTA, Sri Lanka (AP) -- The train known as the Queen of the Sea chugged slowly up the sandy, palm-fringed coast of eastern Sri Lanka, carrying hundreds of residents from the capital to visit relatives or enjoy a day at the sunny resorts near the town of Galle.
The train had nearly reached its destination Sunday when the tsunami struck - a wall of water some 30 feet high, enveloping the Queen and lifting its cars off the track into a thick marsh, killing at least 802 people.
In the utter wasteland around this once picturesque area, the train stands out - both as a testament to the force of nature that tossed it off the tracks and as the largest single loss of life on an island that suffered at least 18,706 dead.
The train, which started from the capital, Colombo, Sunday morning had stopped at Telwatta, a village 15 miles from Galle, just before the wave came racing ashore. Many of the dead were local villagers who tried to escape rising waters by climbing on top of the train with the help of the passengers.
http://hosted.ap.org/photos/X/XEJ10712281700-big.jpg
Group of Buddhist monks and villagers search for the missing along railroad tracks at Telwatte, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004. The massive tidal waves that slammed into Sri Lanka flung a train off its tracks, leaving many of its 1,000 passengers dead or missing, police said Tuesday, while rescuers uncovered thousands of bodies across the country. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
On Tuesday, the Queen and the surrounding area were little more than debris. Eight rust-colored cars that lay in deep pools of water amid a ravaged grove of palm trees. The force of the waves had torn the wheels off some cars, and the train tracks twisted like a loop on a roller coaster.
Baggage from the train was strewn along the tracks, and some of the clothing and other items looked new, possibly New Year's gifts for family or friends.
One thousand tickets were sold in Colombo for the train, and rescuers recovered 802 bodies from the train's cars, said military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake.
No relatives claimed 204 of those bodies, so they were buried in a mass grave Tuesday, with Buddhist monks performing traditional funeral rites. They chanted and poured water on the grave to symbolize the giving of merits of the living to the dead.
Venerable Baddegama Samitha, a Buddhist monk and former parliamentarian who presided over the ritual, said he realized some of the dead were of other faiths - the region has a large Muslim community - and a moment's silence was held to honor them.
"This was the only thing we could do," he said. "It was a desperate solution. The bodies were rotting. We gave them a decent burial."
Authorities took fingerprints of the dead so that they could be identified later if possible, he said, but there seemed little possibility anyone would find the time to try.
At a nearby police station, officers laid out about 100 identification and credit cards, as well as drivers' licenses and bank books found at the train site. They included an electricity board secretary, an assistant lecturer at a state research institute of social development, and a student from the University of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.
"Police told us to come and have a look at this collection of ID cards," said Premasiri Jayasinghe, one of a group of people searching through the documents for those of lost loved ones. He found no sign of the three relatives he lost.
At the train site, a young man wept in the arms of friends as the body of his girlfriend was buried. The distraught man spoke out to his lost sweetheart.
"We met in university. Is this the fate that we hoped for?" he sobbed. "My darling, you were the only hope for me."
The train left Colombo at 7:30 a.m. for Galle, 70 miles to the southeast, a resort with large hotels and beaches sought by weekenders. The water struck at 9:30 a.m.
In was unclear how many people survived the train disaster. Police superintendent B.P.B. Ayupala said the train driver lived. Police and local residents said one survivor was a woman who lost three children when the carriages were flooded. She sought refuge in a Buddhist temple before leaving the area.
Though 1,000 people had tickets, it was not known how many people were actually on the train when it was hit. Ayupala said more bodies could be buried in the watery earth beneath the compartments.
"The people in the village ran toward the train and climbed on top of it," he said. "Then the water level went down" - a telltale sign of the approaching tsunami, which sucks up coastal waters before it strikes. "Ten minutes later, it came back," he said.
For the people of Telwatta, burying the train's dead was part of an attempt to bring back order. The tsunami crushed every building, down to the brick foundations of the houses. Palm trees were snapped into splinters and the site of what was once a school was marked only by a twisted metal playset.
The one-lane road through the area was thronged with traffic jams Tuesday as trucks tried to bring in aid. They were slowed by funeral processions on the side of the road and residents carrying away rubble from what had once been their homes.
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Some reports now have the death toll at 80,000.
Incredible.
Man, this is just getting worse and worse. Drudge has a link reporting the number over 100,000 now. I read the stories, I look at the videos, and seeing what at first appears to be simply an "ambitious" wave as I've seen in Southern California soon becomes clear that it's not going to stop and is in fact a killer. The image sticks in my mind of the man standing on the beach smoking a cigarette watching only to turn and run up the beach a little too late. Him and several hundred others slammed against a wall.
I'd rather be in combat than to ever see that many children's bodies floating around in the streets.
...and they say that one third of the victims are children.
Supposedly, Marines, equiptment and supplies are being provided from Okinawa. Anyone know the scoop on this as the media has not reported in depth about deployment of Marines from Japan ?.
I read something that almost made me laugh (if it wasn't so sad And the UN has the audacity). Saudi Arabia (one of the richest countries in the world), has agreed to donate 8 million dollars to the relief fund to help out. I hope this doesn't break those cheap bas*****! And the UN has the audacity to call us "stingy"!
Canada pledged $40 million, does make our original $20 million seem stingy.
greensideout
12-29-04, 08:52 PM
Throw all the money you want to at it, it won't change the fact that the horrendous event happened. People died, money won't change that!
The UN is a joke. It depends upon the US to do it's work.
Sending in people to help with the needs now is one way if not the only way to help.
Much needs to be done to help. Money doesn't do anything without people to take action.
Who cares what was pledged---or by what country---we need people there to get things done.
What country do you think will send the most people?
probably the canadians, all of our folks are tied up in a stupid war.
greensideout
12-29-04, 09:21 PM
I don't think that is the way it will be.
The US is always the first and foremost to help. Even with a war going on we will be there to help.
Take a head count as you watch this event unfold.
America will be at the front!
what they do need is our helicopters. hope thats what they are delivering w/ the carrier heading that way
greensideout
12-29-04, 10:01 PM
If it's an LPH they will have the helos, and the Marines to do whatever it takes to help as best that they can.
a "doctors w/out borders" spokesperson was on the radio today. what they need is money to buy locally (more or less) supplies and the way to deliver them. delivery is the major problem as the roads, bridges, railroads are B.O.
he suggested, and it makes sense, contributions of goods are pretty useless as they cost more to transport than their worth.
i'm pretty ****ed that it took so long for the prez to respond personally to the crisis. this is a major opportunity to help the muslim (to a large extent the victums are muslims) world. we missed a public relations coup.
yellowwing
12-29-04, 10:23 PM
The Man is responding to the winds within 24 hours. $10 million is 'stingy'? 24 hours later we up our ante to $35 million.
The Man has a full schedule. The war really needs his attention. Saudi Arabia is fraying at the threads and in danger of full unravel. That puts a kink into economic security. (It really is Job Number 1)
They are politically betting 'all in' on the Iraq vote. Damn the suicide bombers, full speed ahead!
full schedule??? he was chopping wood at his so called ranch.
10 million is stingy when the nookers promise 40 million. per capita the US should of ponied up 400 million to keep up w/ our friends to the north.
sadibenz
12-29-04, 10:49 PM
According to the San Diego Union Tribune 12/29/04 the count is nearing 91,000 now.
According to CNN this AM the toll is now 115,000.
I agree with Greensideout, I think America (as always), will be way out in front...doesn't matter though, as long as people get out there...
DSchmitke
12-30-04, 09:19 AM
Someone told me they had another earthquake. Like 5.7 ?
garryh123
12-30-04, 12:44 PM
I hear Kofi Annan finally cut short his "vacation" . Funny how the media is all over Bush but not Annan....HMMMMMMMMMM.....Makes ya think.........The word "bias" comes to mind.
DSchmitke
12-30-04, 12:49 PM
Bush Says America Will Lead Global Aid Effort
(Washington Post, December 30, 2004, Pg. 1)
President Bush said that the United States will spearhead a worldwide effort to provide financial, military and humanitarian assistance to the Asian nations devastated by a deadly tsunami. The administration has dispatched military personnel and equipment, including seven water-producing ships and one hospital vessel, as well as health experts to help the stem the spread of deadly diseases in the flooded areas.
DSchmitke
12-30-04, 12:51 PM
Bush Defends U.S. Response To Disaster
(Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2004)
President Bush launched an aggressive defense of his administration's response to the southern Asian tsunami disaster, calling critics "ill-informed" and predicting that U.S. aid ultimately would surpass the $35 million in initial cash assistance. Pentagon officials announced plans to send a Navy aircraft carrier battle group to the Indonesian coast and a Marine expeditionary strike group to the Bay of Bengal. One official at the U.S. Pacific Command said the task force totaled about 20,000 military personnel, dwarfing that of previous U.S. military efforts to aid disaster victims.
DSchmitke
12-30-04, 01:37 PM
Two Teams Of U.S. Experts Arrive In Disaster Areas
(Philadelphia Inquirer, December 30, 2004)
U.S. military disaster experts arrived in Thailand and Sri Lanka to help plan relief efforts for thousands of tsunami survivors facing disease, starvation and death in one of the worst natural disasters in history. The teams included medical experts, civil engineers and specialists in water purification, disease prevention and logistics.
Osotogary
12-30-04, 02:08 PM
www.defenselink.mil has a whole slew of info concerning relief efforts today. (This is the DOD website.)