Tsunami toll could top 100,000, Red Cross says

SRI LANKA 18,700 INDONESIA 21,000 INDIA 7,500 THAILAND 1,439 MALAYSIA 63 Maldives 52 Myanmar 57 Total: 48,811

Asia Tsunami :15:11 A Thai man surrounded by the damage caused by a tsunami squats on the sand at Patong beach in Phuket, December 27, One of the most powerful earthquakes in history hit Asia on Sunday, unleashing a tidal wave which devastated coastal areas of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and tourist isles in Thailand, killing tens of thousands of people.

Asia Tsunami :54:53 Asia Tsunami :54:53 Tidal waves wash through houses at Maddampegama, about 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004.

Asia Tsunami :03:09 Residents walk through the trail of destruction along the coastal railway line in the southern Sri Lankan town of Lunawa after tsunami tidal waves lashed more than half of Sri Lanka's coastline

Asia Tsunami :21:11 Women mourn the death of victims killed when a tsunami hit on Sunday during their burial in Cuddalore, 180 km (112 miles) south of the southern Indian city of Madras December 27, Hundreds of Indians scattered flower petals on the sea and sacrificed chickens on Monday to pray for the safe return of those carried away in a tidal wave triggered by an earthquake, as officials warned of more high waves.

Tsunami Death Toll Exceeds 63,000 More bodies have been found in the sea and wreckage of coastal towns around the Indian Ocean, pushing the death toll from Sunday's tsunami to more than 60,000 Of the overall death toll, Indonesia has suffered the greatest number of victims, with its Health Ministry reporting more than 27,000 dead while Sri Lanka reported nearly 22,000 people killed.

Tsunami In Thailand, where thousands of tourists were enjoying a Christmas break, many of the country's paradise resorts were turned into graveyards. In southern Sri Lanka, mass graves have been dug by heavy machinery near Galle, as the mounting number of dead raises fears of disease. The stench of death in Galle is now forcing pedestrians to cover their noses and mouths when they walk the streets. In Thailand, where thousands of tourists were enjoying a Christmas break, many of the country's paradise resorts were turned into graveyards. In southern Sri Lanka, mass graves have been dug by heavy machinery near Galle, as the mounting number of dead raises fears of disease. The stench of death in Galle is now forcing pedestrians to cover their noses and mouths when they walk the streets.

Homeless tsunami survivors cover their noses from the stench of rotting bodies as they leave the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh, on Wednesday.

Tsunami Death A top World Health Organisation official has warned that disease could kill as many people as those killed by the wall of water. There is a serious risk of an explosion of malaria and dengue fever, already endemic in South-East Asia. So it is vital to rush medicine and fresh water to the worst-hit countries to prevent further catastrophe. Dozens of gift shops destroyed by the tidal waves on Phi Phi island in southern Thailand.

43 Chinese Missing in Thailand Forty-three Chinese tourists remain missing on Thailand's tsunami-hit Phuket Island. An official at the Chinese Embassy to Thailand reveals that among the 43 missing tourists, five are from the mainland, 30 from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and eight from Taiwan Province.