Posted on 12/31/2004 10:18:09 AM PST by Dallas59
At least 6,000 Europeans are still missing - most of them presumed dead - after the Indian Ocean disaster wrecked beach resorts in south-west Thailand.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Wow. 9/11 times 2.5. And of course it wasn't terrorism, but still. Sad.
It's all too bad but I hope everyone stops whining about the American 'lack of response'
CNN was interviewing a diver who was lucky to still be onboard a boat (helping his sons gear up) when the captain spotted the waves. The capt. fired up the engines and got the boat away from the rocky cliffs they were near.
Horridly, the diver said that many snorkelers from their boat had already entered the water and entered a nearby narrow cave where the water normally is about 3 ft. from the ceiling. Obviously, the tsunami filled the cave and gave the snorkelers no refuge.
It's all a nightmare, but this was particularly horrifying to me.
Sweden is missing over 3500 people alone. Norway is missing about 1400.
And, like 911, many of these will just never show back up. Mass graves and burnings will leave many families with no word. Their loved ones will just disappear off of the face of the earth.
if the cave air had no outlet above the water, perhaps the pocket of air persisted when the water level rose.
It's sobering to think that fate can play a horrible trick on you, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
You know, just a thought, I wonder who sent us aid after the hurricanes in Florida?
being aware of your surroundings, at all times, helps a lot. But if God is fixin to hit the smite button on you, your time is up.
I'm on the west coast of Florida & just had loads of tree damage here but the homes south are still damaged & the Insurance Companies want to charge a high deductible for each hurricane. No one helps Americans but every country expects us to help them with our tax dollars. Its time that countries start putting their money into their people & cities instead of in their own pockets. The UN took money that was given to help people but instead lined their own pockets. Its time they all gave the money back & to the people that need food, clothes & homes.
By the way, I donate clothes & food every year for the needy here in Florida & will continue to help & I plan this year to "Buy American" to support our manufacturing & legal workers.
I don't think BBC requires excerpting. So ....
BBC NEWS
Hopes fade for missing Europeans
At least 6,000 Europeans are still missing - most of them presumed dead - after the Indian Ocean disaster wrecked beach resorts in south-west Thailand.
Sweden estimated 3,500 of its people were missing and said the national death toll could top 1,000.
Germany has more than 1,000 missing, and hundreds of tourists from Italy, Norway, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands are also unaccounted for.
The Thai resorts of Khao Lak and Phuket were hardest hit by the giant waves.
Nearly 2,000 foreign tourists died in Khao Lak alone, when luxury hotels full for the Christmas holidays were swamped.
Bodies arriving in temporary mortuaries are often unrecognisable after days lying in the tropical heat.
More than 4,500 bodies have now been recovered in Thailand, almost half of them foreigners.
EUROPEANS DEAD OR MISSING
Sweden: 59 dead, about 3,500 missing
Germany: 34 dead, over 1,000 missing
Britain: 34 dead, unconfirmed number missing
France: 22 dead, 96 missing
Norway: 21 dead, 430 missing
Italy: 14 dead, 700 missing
Finland: 14 dead, 263 missing
Switzerland: 12 dead, 850 missing
Denmark: 7 dead, 419 missing
Austria: 5 dead, up to 100 missing
Russia: 1 dead, 80 missing
Where possible, the bodies of foreign tourists are being stored in refrigerated container lorries, but more temporary mortuaries are needed to house corpses.
Forensic experts will try to identify victims using DNA samples and dental records provided by relatives.
The highest death tolls confirmed by European nations so far are: Sweden (59), Britain (34), Germany (34), France (22) and Norway (21).
The actual death tolls are expected to be much higher.
Sad New Year
New Year's Day will be an official day of mourning in Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Many local authorities throughout the Nordic countries have cancelled New Year celebrations.
European countries have pledged millions of dollars in aid and planes carrying experts and supplies have been flown to the region.
The EU's humanitarian affairs commissioner, Louis Michel, said the EU had reserve funds to help the stricken countries if the 33m euros ($45m) already pledged proved insufficient. He said the EU had an extra 300m euros available in separate emergency funds.
But he stressed that funds would be needed for reconstruction, beyond the current emergency.
Anxious search
On the ground in the disaster zone, many Europeans are still waiting for news of friends and relatives missing since Sunday's waves.
Locals and tourists are looking at the dead to see if their loved ones are there, or examining message boards posted with photos of the dead.
One of the coordinators of the forensic teams in Thailand, policeman Carl Kent from Australia, urged relatives to refrain from visiting the mortuaries, which were in "difficult environments".
"Family members must steel themselves to the fact that this process will take a considerable period of time to resolve," he said.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Phuket says that after the Bali bombing it took five months to identify about 200 victims.
The Danish, Swedish and Norwegian foreign ministries have been sharply criticised by some of their nationals in Thailand, who accuse them of reacting too slowly to the disaster.
The European Union is planning a special meeting of EU aid ministers early next month to co-ordinate relief efforts.
Mr Michel said he would attend a conference of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) in Jakarta next week to gauge the immediate needs.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/4136871.stm
Published: 2004/12/31 17:35:50 GMT
© BBC MMIV
Thank you.
Exactly. God bless you jrcats
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.