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UPDATE: Tsunami Waves Kill Over 19,930 in Asia
AP ^ | Dec. 27, 2004 | DILIP GANGULY

Posted on 12/27/2004 2:38:49 AM PST by West Coast Conservative

Rescuers scoured Asia's coastlines for survivors of devastating tidal waves that obliterated seaside towns in nine countries, killing more than 19,930 people. Aid poured into the region, but morgues and hospitals struggled to cope with the tragedy.

Hundreds of children were buried in mass graves in India as their grieving parents looked on.

The death toll began climbing sharply after Sunday morning's 9.0-magnitude quake that struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia, the most powerful temblor in four decades.

The waves sped away from the epicenter at over 500 mph before crashing into the region's shorelines without warning, sweeping people and fishing villages out to sea. Millions were displaced from their homes and thousands were missing.

Officials said the death toll would continue to rise and warned that disease outbreaks were possible.

(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: asia; deathtoll; earthquake; sumatraquake; tsunami

1 posted on 12/27/2004 2:38:49 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
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To: West Coast Conservative
NY Times Headlines will Read as follows:

"Bush Kills 20,000 in Asia"

"Bush Hurricanes, Trashed Kyoto Treaty, Cause 20,000 Deaths in Asia"

"Tsunami of Bush: A tale of Neocon Destruction in Asia"

"Bush Tsunamis Kill 20,000 in Asia"

"Bush Lied - Tsunamis Thrive"

"End of World at Hand - Bush Ensures Wealthiest to Benefit Most"

2 posted on 12/27/2004 2:41:22 AM PST by StopThePress
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To: West Coast Conservative
It just keeps on getting worse.

Really, really awful.
3 posted on 12/27/2004 2:46:51 AM PST by DB (©)
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To: StopThePress
I think we need to add

"Bush Quake kills tens of thousands - women and minorities affected worst!"

4 posted on 12/27/2004 2:50:58 AM PST by 17th Miss Regt
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To: StopThePress

"Bush Policy - Unforseen Consequences"


5 posted on 12/27/2004 2:54:03 AM PST by Socratic (Death be not proud - but put on clean underwear.)
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To: West Coast Conservative
Terrible. Worse than one can possibly imagine.

Somehow, the leftists will probably try to blame this on global warming.
6 posted on 12/27/2004 2:54:06 AM PST by Bon mots
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To: Bon mots

Tragic tho it is...I am waiting for this to be blamed on the US somehow...someway. All of it tied to Iraq, the re-election of Bush and SUVs...all at the same time...I bet this gets sweeped under the rug in favor of any death in Iraq.


7 posted on 12/27/2004 2:59:43 AM PST by Dallas59 ("A weak peace is worse than war" - Tacitcus)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Headline in Dim Paper, Leftist Times

Bush causes KILLER QUAKE with lack of enviro funding!


8 posted on 12/27/2004 3:10:09 AM PST by HMFIC (US Marines, you yell, we shell.)
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To: West Coast Conservative; All
Crosslinked:
 
The Great Wave- Sumatra Quake and tsunami of 2004

9 posted on 12/27/2004 3:16:28 AM PST by backhoe (-30-)
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To: HMFIC

Has anything been posted yet about all the tourists from other countries? Any more definite figures? I would think it may be a high count due to it being Christmas holiday time. Lots of people were looking to get away from the cold for a few days. I read yesterday that a travel agency in England was inquiring about the fate of 800 clients.


10 posted on 12/27/2004 3:18:26 AM PST by GOP_Proud (Those who proclaim tolerance, have the least for my views.)
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To: West Coast Conservative
Fox News is showing home video this morning of a wave hitting a resort area. It is incredible and chilling at the same time. The muffled voices and screams in the background add to the eeriness. God bless all those affected by this disaster.
11 posted on 12/27/2004 3:19:51 AM PST by Quilla
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To: West Coast Conservative

500 mph waves?

Hard to imagine.

God help the survivors.


12 posted on 12/27/2004 4:39:56 AM PST by KidGlock (W-1)
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To: StopThePress

Bush Sent In Tsunami's In A Fashion Reminiscent of Jenghis Khan.


13 posted on 12/27/2004 4:56:16 AM PST by kizzdogg
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To: Dallas59
"Tragic tho it is...I am waiting for this to be blamed on the US somehow...someway. All of it tied to Iraq, the re-election of Bush and SUVs...all at the same time...I bet this gets sweeped under the rug in favor of any death in Iraq."

Those haters of the US will wait until they can get every possible nickel and dime from the US first.
14 posted on 12/27/2004 4:58:21 AM PST by Just mythoughts
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To: West Coast Conservative
Our Amazing World of Nature an old "Reader's Digest" book, had an article about Krakatoa and the resulting 10-story tidle wave that killed 30,000. This sounds so much like it. But this time, though the wave was smaller, the population in the 'kill zone' was larger.
15 posted on 12/27/2004 5:24:32 AM PST by eccentric (aka baldwidow)
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To: West Coast Conservative

What about ships in the area? SS Poseidon. Is there any report on what happened to large ship?


16 posted on 12/27/2004 5:26:25 AM PST by eccentric (aka baldwidow)
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To: GOP_Proud

Here's some links

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4127447.stm

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=15017055&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=fears-for-uk-tourists-name_page.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4127369.stm

It seems from surfing the net that tourist fatalities have been fairly low in the scheme of things but it'll take a while to know for sure. The problem is that locals will know who is missing from their families, and fairly quickly people on organised holidays will be accounted for. The real difficulty is all those backpackers and independent travellers whose families will know they are in the area but have no idea exactly where, sadly for some we will never know the exact toll.


17 posted on 12/27/2004 5:34:05 AM PST by flitton (Happy New Year)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Does anyone have links to the actual video of it moving in? How high is he wave when it hits shore?


18 posted on 12/27/2004 5:36:22 AM PST by zoobee
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To: StopThePress
"Bush Hurricanes, Trashed Kyoto Treaty, Cause 20,000 Deaths in Asia"

Earthquakes and tsumanis have nothing to do with the weather. Quit attempting to make political humor out of the plight of thousands. It wouldnt be such a joke to you if the New Madrid fault had a 9.0 quake and killed 20 million Americans.

19 posted on 12/27/2004 6:03:53 AM PST by Dave S
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To: Dave S

We all recognize this unsurmountable tragety. It has been speculated by some groups, that because of so-called global warming, and beach erosion, that the damage caused by the tsunami was worse than otherwise. Although I do not particularly agree with it, there will be many-a-libs who will abide by it, and hold "The Day After Tomorrow" as prophetic...and we poke fun at those dooms-dayers.


20 posted on 12/29/2004 8:31:56 PM PST by ColoradoSurfer (stay irie!)
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