Phi Phi Island, Thailand : ocean swallows all 200 bungalows at sea level

http://www.tagesschau.de/aktuell/meldungen/0,1185,OID3915132,00.html ^

[Truth666]

Phi Phi Island, Thailand : ocean swallows all 200 bungalows at sea level, some of them including the tourists and employees.

[Truth666]

OIf you are aware of the topography of Phi Phi, this gives an idea of what might have happened in the Maldives

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Heard there was a massive earthquake from Sri Lanka to Thailand...worst since 1964. Any other stories on here to which one may link?

[Miss Marple]

Reuters now says the death toll is over 6000, according to Fox News.

There are lots of stories on this. Scroll down through "Latest Posts" and you will see them.

[dufekin]

Here's the original link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308458/posts

The cause of the deaths in Thailand was a tsunami, NOT RELATED TO "GLOBAL WARMING."

[angkor]

Koh Phi Phi is where they made that silly film "The Beach."

I've checked around and apparently the eastern islands (e.g., Koh Samui) weren't affected by the tsunami, although they did feel the quake.

[backhoe]

Links:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308556/posts
Tidal Waves Kill More Than 2,200 in Asia

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308548/posts
Maldives : Fate of tens of thousands of european tourists being censored

One example - http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11785866%255E1702,00.html
Thousands killed as tsunamis sweep across Indian Ocean
http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stories/asiapacific_stories_1272475.htm
(Yahoo/AP) Over 2,200 Dead So Far
Link http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041226/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_earthquake_15
Khaleej Times http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2004/December/theworld_December685.xml&section=theworld

[csvset]

Source

Tsunami death toll hits 160 dead, 1,900 injured

Published on Dec 26 , 2004

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) _ Nearly 160 people were killed and more than 1,900 injured, with scores missing in southern Thai resorts after a major earthquake hit Southeast Asia on Sunday, causing tidal waves and flooding, a government disaster centre said.

The Narenthorn Center of the Public Health Ministry centre reported that some people had been swept out to sea from a Phuket beach by tidal waves. About 10,000 tourists were trapped on higher ground, while others were stuck at sea in boats.

It wasn't clear how the 158 died, said the centre's Surawee Yamklin.

Some of the dead were local workers and at least four tourists died. The victims were in Trang, Songkhla, Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Phang Nga, Satun and Surat Thani provinces, which draw thousands of visitors each year because of their world-famous beaches.

Five- to 10-metre (16 to 33 feet) high waves crashed onto beaches and roadways in Thailand following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia, hiting Asia's most popular resorts during the peak tourist season of the year.

``Suddenly this huge wave came, rushing down the beach, destroying everything in its wake,'' said Simon Clark, a 29-year-old photographer from London who vacationing on Koh Ngai island near Krabi with his girlfriend, Caroline Barton, 25, also of London. ``People that were snorkeling were dragged along the coral and washed up on the beach, and people that were sunbathing got washed into the sea.''

In the midst of the Andaman Sea on Phi Phi island _ where ``The Beach'' starring Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed _ 200 bungalows at two resorts were swept out to sea, along with some of its staff and customers.

``I am afraid that there will be a high figure of foreigners missing in the sea and also my staff,'' said Chan Marongtaechar, owner of the PP Princess Resort and PP Charlie Beach Resort.

Chan, who was in Bangkok on Sunday, didn't have exact figures of missing or dead because the telephone network was disrupted, but he said 700 people could have been on the beach when the tsunami hit.

Watcharat Hospital in Phuket was full, with many foreigners coming from hotels on popular Kamala and Patong beaches, said a hospital official who declined to be named. At least 30 seriously injured people were being cared for at Phuket hospitals, Piphat said.

[Truth666]

Blackout about the fate of tens of thousands of tourists in the Maldives
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308548/posts

[rodguy911]

In that part of the world I don't know how good the early warning systems are. Once you have a quake of that magnitude, a tidal wave almost always follows.

[Bon mots]

Doesn't look good for Phi Phi (Pee Pee) Island.

[Peach]

What a horrific nightmare.

[hershey]

Oh, my God.

[rodguy911]

My guess is that it could take some time to confirm the missing over there. What a horrible thing to happen especially this time of year.

[Conservative Vet]

I was in Phuket and Phi Phi island over Thanksgiving. The Andaman Sea is so calm and beautiful, it's hard to imagine this happening. I spent the day with a speedboat crew that took us out to the island. I'm hoping the wave hit before they launched from Phuket.

[JimSEA]

An early report stated that the morning boats from Phi Phi had arived on the mainland and Puket but the day trip boats had mostly not yet left. The reporter believed the death toll would be somewhat less as a result. However, at least 260 are thought to be dead on the island. Also, some 200 longtail boats are missing. Most would be fisherman but a good number might have had 2 to 10 tourists on board. In addition to being the height of the foreign tourist season, Thai tourism for New Years is sizable now.

As it is night now, I expect that it will be some hours before much more is known. Among the West Coast (Andanam Sea) locations one would expect a high toll are Surin and Similian Islands, KO Lanta, Ko Tao National Park and countless small coastal villages. Of course, not much has been heard from Burma yet. Not much has come from Malaysia yet either. It is sickening. No reason to expect tnat today would be any different than yesterday. Many fine people are no more.

[Conservative Vet]

Thanks for the detailed update. I know many more would have died on Patong Beach if it were later in the day. Most of the tourists were most likely sleeping off the effects of late-night drinking. My Filipina fiancee works in Bangkok but her sister manages an optical shop next to Patong beach. I'm hoping she had not opened the shop when the wave hit, as her apartment is farther inland. I have not been able to get ahold of either of them though

[USNBandit]

This truly blows. Both Phuket and the Phi Phi islands are so beautiful. Phi Phi has lots of thatched roof huts just barely above sea level along with most of the shops and storefront restaurants.

[mewzilla]

In that part of the world I don't know how good the early warning systems are.

Or if concerns about the effects on tourism played any role in decision making.

[traumer]

More than 9,500 people have been killed across southern Asia...

Sea surges kill thousands in Asia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125481.stm

[newzhawk]

Phuket was the site of a Sports Illustrated photo shoot years ago- beautiful white sand- so frigtening- we actually had a small Tsunami in Daytona Beach some years back (91?) it can happen anywhere . Wondered if any surfers were there - I know some surfers rode one in in Hawaii before and made it!