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Tsunami wipes out remote Indian islands, death toll hits 50,000
Rescuers struggled to reach India's remote islands on Tuesday, two days after devastating tsunami struck southern Asia, saying that they found barely third of the residents on one Island still alive. On another island, piles of rubble and debris was what left of the housing blocks of an air force base. Authorities said they have lost contact with most of the islands, including, Grand Nicobar, one of the biggest Indian islands and the closest to the epicenter of Sunday's earthquake which caused a tsunami that killed more than 50,000 in 11 Asian countries. According to India's police at least 5,000 people are confirmed or presumed dead in 550 islands bordering Myanmar and Indonesia. The death toll across India is estimated at 10,000. With thousands still missing and rescuers struggling to reach or even contact some areas, Interior (Home) Minister Shivraj Patil predicts that the death toll will rise during the coming days. On the Andaman and Nicobar island of Chowra, rescuers said they found only 500 survivors from the Island's 1,500 residents, the territory's deputy police chief, C. Vasudeva Rao said. "We thought the entire island was washed away. But we found 500 survivors," he said. Authorities failed to contact two neighboring isles, home to a combined population of 7,000. "We are fearing the worse in these islands. We have heard nothing from them," Rao said. "We have no information." Posted by: Fred 2004-12-28 |
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