Tsunami
official death toll hits 5000!
[TamilNet, December 26, 2004
08:56 GMT]
Official
death toll from the Tsunami waves that hit northeastern and southern coast
of Sri Lanka Sunday morning was increased to 5000, Sri Lankan Defence Ministry
sources told TamilNet. Government officials in the devastated eastern town
Batticaloa said only about twenty five of more than thousand families in
Navalady, a coastal suburb of Batticaloa, appear to have survived the massive
waves. At least 208 persons have died in Trincomale according to the district's
Government Agent, Mr. M.D.A. Rodrigo. Hundreds of people are missing in
many coastal villages of the east coast and there are few facilities to
search for them or care for the wounded, local officials and relief workers
said.
More than 1300 people have
died in the East. Scores of bodies are floating in the near the shore and
in the Batticaloa
lagoon, residents said. Nilaveli, Sambaltheevu, Linganagar, Kuchchaveli,
Pulmoddai, Kinniya and Mutur are among the villages that were severely
hit in Trincomalee
district, according to the GA of the eastern district. Mullaitivu district
is also badly affected. Officials say that many parts of the district are
still inaccessible and it was difficult to provide damage estimates or
death tolls there. Around 200 bodies are brought to Kilinochchi
Hospital from both Vadamaradchi East and Mullaitivu. Around 1600 severely
injured persons from Mullaitivu and Vadamaradchy East have also been admitted
to the Kilinochchi hospital, according to sources.
Meanwhile
civil sources in Jaffna
District said that they feared around 100 have died in Jaffna district.
Civil sources in Mullaitivu District also report heavy losses along the
coast Kaddaikadu, Uduthurai, Aaliyawalai, Chempianpattu, Maruthankerni,
Vettilaikerni villages in Vadamaradchy East are severely affected by flash
flooding. More than 1000 people are reported missing in these villages.
Sea Tigers wing of Liberation
Tigers, Officers of Tamileelam police and volunteers from Tamil Rehabilitation
Organization (TRO) are attending to the immediate urgent needs of the affected
public.
Sri Lanka declared a state
of National Disaster, according to the Presidential Secretariat. Meanwhile,
reports from the southern parts of Sri Lanka said that more than 250 are
dead. Two hundred bodies have been brought to the
Galle
Hospital, according to reports. Seventy bodies of persons killed by the
waves were brought to the government hospital in Tangalle on Sri Lanka's
southern coast, Police said.
Courtesy: Tamilnet.com |
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