| Nearly 11,000 people died after sea surges struck long stretches of the Sri Lankan coast on Sunday, officials say. Many more people are reported missing and about a million are homeless. The government has declared a disaster. Among the dead are at least 72 foreign tourists, the chairman of Sri Lanka's Tourist Board said. Although 1,600km from the earthquake epicentre, waves struck Sri Lanka with great force, sweeping far inland. A huge search is underway for survivors. Much of Sri Lanka's coast have been devastated by the waves, with the south and east worst hit. The army says at least 10,000 bodies have been found so far, in areas under government control. Earlier on Monday Tamil Tiger rebels who control much of the north and east put the toll there at 820. Latest estimates from the rebels are that as many as 6,000 people may have died in the disaster in the north and east, but correspondents advise there may be overlap between the rebel and government figures. Tens of thousands of police and military personnel are combing the coastline by ship, helicopter and plane looking for survivors and pulling bodies from the sea. |