This is so terribly sad! :(

[jj]

My heart goes out to these people. What a total disaster!! My God!

From TNN News:

DEATH TOLL APPROACHES 60,000

DEATH TOLLS (unofficial and incomplete):
SRI LANKA
Sri Lankan military authorities report more than 18,000 people killed. Tamil Tiger rebels report 2,000 dead in the territory they hold in the northeast of the country.

INDIA
At least 9,500 killed by waves that flooded the southern coast, official media report.

INDONESIA
Officials were just reaching some of the hardest hit areas Tuesday and reports from those areas said the death toll could surpass 30,000 in the country.

THAILAND
Thai authorities report at least 1,000 people dead.

MALDIVES
46 people are dead and more than 70 missing, according to Hassan Sobir, the Maldives high commissioner.

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (CNN) -- The "putrid stench of the dead" hung heavily Tuesday over Banda Aceh as officials slowly came to grips with the devastation caused by a massive underwater earthquake and the equally massive tsunami that followed it.

More than two days after the 9.0 magnitude (This is the strongest earthquake on the planet in 4 decades!) earthquake struck off the westernmost portion of Indonesia's northern Sumatra Island, the official death toll stands at over 33,000.

But that number could be deceiving. Officials could not reach some remote areas, like Indonesia's Aceh province, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Maldives, until Tuesday, and once there, they found scenes much worse than they imagined.

"The center of Banda Aceh has been absolutely devastated," said CNN's Mike Chinoy from the capital of Aceh province. "There are still bodies lying in the street."

Indonesian officials in Jakarta told CNN the death count in that country was about 5,000, but other officials, after seeing Aceh, told reporters the toll would be significantly higher, likely approaching 30,000.

If that is true, the final toll inflicted by the disaster will swell over 60,000.

[kri]

Not to make political hay out of this, but where is the Prime Minister to offer Talossa's official condolences?

Ben

[jj]

This just in from TNN News:

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The Red Cross said Wednesday it feared the death toll in Sunday's earthquake and tsunamis in the Indian Ocean could top 100,000.

"We're facing a disaster of unprecedented proportion in nature," said Simon Missiri, Asia Pacific chief at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

And I concur with the sentiments of KRI. WHERE IS THE PRIME MINISTER IN THIS DREADFUL HOUR?!

[markymark]

This is indeed sad news, my heart goes out to all of the innocent victims of this terrible event.

I also concur with my fellow Talossans, where is the Prime Minister? An official statement from the PM is in definite order!

[seahobbit]

This is by far one of the worst natural disaster in history, I join with my fellow Talossan in requesting the PM to issue a PD of support.

Marc Moisan, C.D.
Dûceu dels Zefençadéirs del Päts Talossán

[kri]

Azul,

I should add a murmur of support for the PM -- when he wants to, he is incredibly articulate. He is a really, really good writer (unfortunately, a lot of what he's written lately was in e-mail rather than Witt, and I don't publish e-mails without permission) and I'm sure he would handle this one with panache and ability.

Ben

[markymark]

I have no doubt about the Rt. Hon. Cone's abilities; that is why I appointed him to the position in the first place. Although he has not been as active as I would have liked, it should be remembered that he took over during a very difficult time in our history and for that we are all in his debt.