Thousands of US Citizens Missing

BBC ^ | 12/31/04 | BBC

[Dallas59]

everal thousand North Americans are still unaccounted for in Thailand and Sri Lanka after the tsunami which killed more than 120,000 people.

At least 14 US citizens have been confirmed as dead, state department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

[Dallas59]

This is the first time I've heard about "thousands".

[Dallas59]

"Several"

[EggsAckley]

The numbers game is getting out of control. Yesterday the number was 400,000 but today they're back to 120,000.

[Miztiki]

I hope this number is highly exaggerated.

[Kurt_D]

You have to understand that we are playing with very liberal guesses. Countries like India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia do not have the infrastructure and logistics to get a quick and accurate body count. In fact, the information about population of the affected areas is not reliable at all to start with. I'd say that the number of +400,000 is, regrettably, an awfully realistic estimation.

[Zacs Mom]

I think the 400,000 number was coming out of Indonesia ~ there are areas there that are all but gone.......see the additional satellite images of Banda Aceh, Indonesia I posted on this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1311562/posts

The devastation to this area is stunning

[EggsAckley]

You're right of course. Yesterday I sat and pondered the number 400,000, and simply couldn't imagine that many human beings. My whole county has a population of about 250,000 and we constantly complain about "too many people."

[Zacs Mom]

I hadn't heard these numbers on Americans lost either

[EggsAckley]

I saw those pictures this morning and am STILL trying to process what I saw. Thank you for posting them.

[Quilla]

I believe the numbers on based on calls received by State from those in search of loved ones. Boucher mentioned that 600 Americans who had been reported missing are now located. But they are still fielding called from families. The thousand number could very be accurate.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Consider how long it took to get a settled count of the casualties of 9/11 - and this disaster is fully one order of magnitude more extensive, perhaps 2. Takes a while for the smoke to clear . . .

[Zacs Mom]

am STILL trying to process what I saw

I know what you mean........me, too. I keep remembering back in 1999 when the tornadoes devastated the Oklahoma City area....I saw all of the images on TV and was shocked by the devastation. Then I went to Oklahoma City and, when I actually saw the devastation in real life, I was horrified!!!!! The images on TV and the Internet really didn't prepare me for what I saw with my own eyes!! I've always had a health respect of tornadoes but, having seen living creatures (deer and cattle) torn limb from limb by the force of the wind, I confess I am now am terrified of them.

I think there are some things a person simply cannot comprehend until they have first hand experience of them.

[festus]

The minute folks think aid $$ are tied to the size of the tragedy the figure start inflating.

Not saying this was not a terrible and sizeable tragedy just observin human nature to get all the nickles for themselves.

The other thing I can't figure out is why is it more tragic if the dead our our folks -vs- natives. Tragedy is tragedy no matter who lives through it.